Temperatures will soar into triple digits this weekend as an historic heat wave hits Western Montana, threatening extreme fire danger and severely low stream flows amid a record dry spell, according to experts.
The sweltering heat comes during one of the warmest, driest stretches on record for a region that is increasingly suffering drought conditions.
The month of June is poised to be the hottest on record in Kalispell, according to National Weather Service officials.
Forecasters say temperatures will exceed 100 degrees this weekend, breaking the single-day record high for June. The all-time mark is 96 degrees.
The approaching heat wave is expected to last up to two weeks with temperatures consistently hovering in the mid 90s. The series of intense weather could drive the average monthly mark above the previous all-time record high of 63.8 degrees, set in 1961.
“It’s going to be hot, and it’s going to last for quite a while,” Robert Nester, a NWS climate specialist in Missoula, said during a regional conference call Tuesday afternoon.
Kalispell is also expected to break the record for the number of 90-degree days in June. The record is seven and three have already occurred.
“It’s not a very pretty situation out there,” Ray Nickless, NWS hydrologist, said.
Forecasters are not predicting any rainfall in the near future that could provide relief to the mountain ranges and rivers.
The region is poised for extreme fire danger in the coming weeks, according to Mike Richmond, a predictive services meteorologist at the Northern Rockies Coordination Center in Missoula.
As summer intensifies, the possibility for large, rapid wildfires is significantly increasing, Richmond said.
Richmond said the entire region could be competing for fire resources as Washington, Oregon and Idaho face similar troubling scenarios.
The blistering conditions are driving down the region’s rivers, too.
The Flathead River is running at a new record low stream flow for this time of year, according to data going back 62 years. The stream flow was 8,020 cubic-feet per second on June 23. The previous record for this late in June was 8,070, set in 1988. Other rivers experiencing record-low stream flows include Prospect Creek in Sanders County, the St. Regis River, the Bitterroot River, the Lochsa River near Missoula, and the North and South forks of the Clearwater.
Mark Deleray, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries manager for Region One, said the hot temperatures and low stream flows could harm trout and other fish species, leading to closures on some of the state’s waters.
Warmer water temperatures can increase the stress and eventual mortality of fish, Deleray said.
In the past, the agency has closed fishing on specific rivers from 2 p.m. to midnight when flows drop below critical levels for fish.
“I would expect this to occur in parts of Montana this year and possibly in our area,” he said.
The only local river that has historically required restrictions is the Thompson River, but that has not occurred in several years, Deleray said.
“This year is exceptional,” he said. “We will be watching flow levels and watching water temperatures to see if conservation-type measures are going to be required.”
The flows will continue to drop dramatically in the coming weeks, Nickless said.
The state’s 31 Snotel sites are reporting zero remaining snow, the first time that has ever happened this early, according to records by the Department of Agriculture. Snowpack melted a month ahead of schedule and exacerbated the drought conditions persisting in the area.
Drought conditions will also intensify across the region as summer persists.
Kalispell is experiencing the driest three-month period on record. Between April and June, only 1.17 inches of rain fell in Kalispell, which is 20 percent of normal and 0.47 inches below the second driest spring mark, set in 1918. May was the driest on record.
West Glacier has received 45 percent of normal precipitation for the three-month period.
Kalispell has not received rain since June 3, setting a new record of 19 consecutive dry days in June, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record of 15 days was set in 1955.
Open burning season is being closed a week early due to heightened fire conditions, according to state officials. The last day to burn debris in Flathead County is June 23.
Managers from multiple agencies will meet June 25 to discuss possible restrictions entering the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The Flathead County Office of Emergency Services is asking residents to take precautions as the holiday weekend approaches. Authorities are seeing a large number of human-caused incidents from leftover campfires and ditch fires. Dry conditions can lead to rapid wildfires, OES officials said.