There are wildfires burning Tuesday afternoon in two western Montana locations. One in Glacier National Park and the other in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness area.
UPDATE -- 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 8.
The National Weather Service is predicting wet thunderstorms with the potential for flash flooding Thursday and Friday that could continue through the weekend. The southern Bitterroot Valley could be hardest hit.
Montana Senator Steve Daines toured the Frenchtown Face Timber Project on Wednesday, and spoke with area forest stakeholders about the future of federal lands access and the historically extreme fire danger evident in Montana.
It's hard to believe after days of rain, but National Weather Service Hydrologist Ray Nickless said the amount of water hitting Montana over the past month is below normal.
Fires in Idaho and as far away as Oregon, California and Canada are bringing smoke into the Missoula valley and reducing air quality to near unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.
The Thompson River Complex, four lightning-caused fires burning in very steep, rocky terrain, discovered Aug. 1, continues to be managed by an ICT 3 management team on the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District on the west side of the Lolo National Forest.
Monday morning, based on current and expected weather conditions, fire officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) agreed to move the fire danger in Missoula County to "Very High" starting at midnight on July 29.