The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a Red Flag Warning for Lewis and Clark County and the surrounding region, in effect from Wednesday evening through 9 p.m. Friday, July 25. The warning covers a broad swath of north-central Montana including the Lewis and Clark National Forest's Rocky Mountain District, the Rocky Mountain Front, and adjacent plains counties stretching from Glacier County east through Blaine County.
Conditions driving the warning are a combination that fire managers take seriously: southwest winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 40 mph, relative humidity dropping as low as 10 percent, and temperatures reaching 100 degrees. That combination — high heat, very low humidity, and strong erratic winds — can take a small ignition and push it into a fast-moving wildfire within minutes. The Lewis and Clark National Forest's Rocky Mountain District, which stretches along the Front west of Augusta and Choteau, is specifically named in the warning.
Helena-area residents with property near rangeland, timber, or the forest boundary should take extra precautions through Friday evening. Burning bans and restrictions may be in place or imposed on short notice; residents should check with Montana DNRC or local county officials for current restrictions. The Red Flag Warning runs concurrently with a broader Heat Advisory for the region through Sunday.