Baker, Montana – Residents across Fallon County and several other parts of Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota are being urged to remain alert after the National Weather Service in Billings issued a Red Flag Warning because of dangerous fire weather conditions expected throughout Saturday.
The warning is in effect from noon Saturday until midnight MDT Saturday night. Officials also confirmed that the previously issued Fire Weather Watch has been cancelled because the higher-level warning has now taken its place.
According to Fallon County Disaster & Emergency Services, a combination of very low humidity, extreme heat, gusty winds, and increasing thunderstorm activity is expected to create conditions that could allow fires to start easily and spread rapidly.
Hot temperatures and strong winds increase wildfire danger
Weather officials said the greatest concern comes from the combination of several dangerous weather factors occurring at the same time. Temperatures are forecast to climb as high as 108 degrees, while relative humidity could drop to as low as 11 percent.
Southwest winds are expected to blow at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts reaching 25 mph. During the afternoon and evening, widely scattered thunderstorms are also expected to develop. Although these storms may bring some isolated rainfall, they are also likely to produce strong, shifting winds, making any wildfire more difficult to predict and control.
Officials warned that these changing weather conditions could lead to erratic fire behavior and increase the chances of new fire starts.
The Red Flag Warning covers numerous fire weather zones across south central and southeast Montana, north central Wyoming, and parts of northwest South Dakota.
Affected Montana counties include Fallon, Carter, Custer, Powder River, Rosebud, Treasure, Yellowstone, Carbon, Park, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Big Horn, Gallatin, Golden Valley, Musselshell, and Wheatland. The warning also extends into several Wyoming counties, including Big Horn, Johnson, Sheridan, and Washakie, as well as Harding County in South Dakota.
Emergency officials reminded residents that a Red Flag Warning signals that critical fire weather conditions are either already occurring or are expected very soon. They cautioned that the combination of strong winds, very low humidity, and hot temperatures can cause fires to grow quickly and behave in extreme and unpredictable ways.
Because of the elevated wildfire risk, residents are encouraged to avoid activities that could accidentally spark a fire and to remain aware of local weather updates throughout the day as conditions continue to change.
