The National Weather Service office in Great Falls issued a Fire Weather Watch beginning October 8 and running through 6:00 p.m. MDT on October 9, covering the Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest areas along with the Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena National Forest.
Forecasters flagged southwest winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts reaching 40 mph, temperatures climbing to near 80 degrees, and relative humidity dropping as low as 14 percent. That combination — heat, wind, and dry air — creates the kind of conditions where a spark can move faster than crews can respond.
The NWS warning was explicit: any fires that develop during the watch period will spread rapidly, and containment of new or ongoing fires may be very difficult. Residents near forested areas in Lewis and Clark County should avoid any activity that could ignite a fire and monitor updates from the Great Falls NWS office and the Helena National Forest.