The entire Northern Rockies will feel both immediate and long-term impacts of a powerful cold front moving into the region this weekend.
Meteorologist Genki Keno with the National Weather Service office in Missoula says the system hits western Montana Saturday afternoon. It packs sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles-per-hour with gusts of up to 40 miles-per-hour.
That wind combined with expected low relative humidity will likely stoke area wildfires. What's more, Keno says very little rain will be associated with the front.
"But the relative humidities are going to be higher. We've been getting down into the teens for our relative humidities, but we're going to be somewhere in the at least 30-percent humidity (range) for a lot of areas by Sunday and Monday."
Daytime highs may cool into the 70s for most of next week.
What's more, Keno says it should be breezy for the next several days. That could help disperse some wildfire smoke.
