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.
Congressman Ryan Zinke toured the Flathead Valley and the Hungry Horse Ranger Station earlier this week and said that fire season has certainly descended upon Northern Montana.
Officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association have raised the fire danger level from 'High' to "Very High" as of Monday afternoon.
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.