Hot, dry air will be moving in for Friday and this weekend. While that is good for people getting more summer activities in, the fire danger and fire behavior will increase. And while air quality is generally clean across most of the state, smoke will also increase by late this weekend possibly resulting in poor air quality. Right now and for Friday, the flow is coming from the north and the east with cleaner air. Friday will be a warm late summer day with highs in the 80s to around 90 under sunny skies and clean air. Saturday will be warm and sunny with highs in the 80s and 90s under sunny skies and clean air again. There will be a light east wind. Sunday the upper level flow will switch around to the southwest, pushing wildfire smoke across Big Sky. A few isolated thunderstorms will pop over the western mountains, including around Helena. Highs will be hot in the 90s. Monday will be a breezy, hot and dry day with highs in the 80s and 90s. Smoke could be thick and air quality could be poor. Changes begin on Tuesday with a cold front dropping south out of Canada. A few isolated thunderstorms are possible and highs will start cooling off, only reaching the 80s. A storm system will move in from the Pacific on Wednesday with scattered showers and thunderstorms, and cooler highs in the 70s. Widespread showers are possible on Thursday with cooler temperatures in the 60s, and the chance at higher elevation snow. This storm should bring rain and cooler temperatures to Oregon, Idaho and southwest Montana where a lot of the smoke is coming from.

Have a great day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist

POLSON — A one-of-a-kind dragon boat festival is returning to Polson this weekend for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Montana Dragon Boat Festival is being put on by the Silver Lining Foundation which is the first and only all breast cancer survivor dragon boat and outrigger canoe team in Montana.

The festival — which is being held on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the fairgrounds — will include vendors, a vibrant cultural celebration, and of course, the main attraction is the dragon boat races.

The races begin at 8:45 a.m. and are anticipated to run until 2:30 p.m.

Visit https://www.silverliningmt.org/dragon-boat for more information.

Montana’s share of the $26 billion national opioid settlement with Johnson & Johnson and its distributors is starting to flow to communities. Montana will receive $75 million over 18 years as part of the national settlement.

The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust has been receiving payments for over a year. It currently has $25 million, but that money has been untouched until now.

Groups of counties, and individual counties with larger populations have submitted nearly 40 grant applications, so far. The first two grants approved will serve Lake County.

One program pairs adults with children experiencing trauma that can make them prone to substance use later in life. The adults work with kids on-on-one over several years in school, the community and at home. The program will receive $180,000.

Another $78,000 grant will fund a peer-support program that helps people struggling with addiction and homelessness.