Thousands of Acres Burn in Montana in Hours

If you need proof as to how dry it is this spring, just look to Red Lodge, where a fast-moving fire had burned about 3,000 acres in a matter of hours.

The blaze started yesterday, south of Red Lodge on the east side of Highway 212 on the East Side Road. The fire was moving fast, with crews setting up structure protection along their main canyon to Mt Maurice south of town, and in Howell Gulch. Over 100 firefighters on the ground and multiple aircraft were attacking the flame until dark, and are expected to resume operations this morning.

Highway 212 is closed south of Red Lodge at the Beartooth Ranger Station, and residents north of Howell Gulch were on evacuation warnings, with some evacuations in the 400 Ranch.

     Additional information and updates are being posted on the carbonalert.org website.

Weather records could fall today

Meanwhile, the rest of the state should enjoy the "near summer" weather because the National Weather Service is actually issuing a Winter Storm Watch for much of Montana, starting Wednesday morning.

Temperatures didn't quite break 80 in the major cities today, although a few locations topped that mark. The National Weather Service is listing unofficial highs of 78 in Billings, 75 in Great Falls, 71 in Missoula, and 70 degrees in Missoula on Monday.

Missoula's record for today is 82, set in 2016. But the 82 in Kalispell and 83 degrees in Hamilton date all the way back to 1906.

That's about 20 degrees above normal for late April. But a late-season Pacific system is expected to crash temperatures by 20 to 40 degrees in less than 24 hours.

Rain is forecast to turn into heavy wet snow on Wednesday night, with some areas potentially seeing over 10 inches. Local livestock producers are being advised of a Cold Advisory for Newborn Livestock as conditions shift from spring-like to "early March" levels.

Montana economy cools, Idaho stronger

The annual report by the Milken Institute shows Montana's economy remaining strong here in 2026, although we're not seeing the "boom" happening in other parts of the Northern Rockies.

The report analyzes Billings, Missoula, and Great Falls across 13-different metrics, including wage growth, but also ongoing problems like housing affordability. Some sectors are strong. Missoula, for example, has had a bit of a high-tech boom, with a high-tech GDP that nearly doubled. One of the highest growth rates for that sector in the entire country.

But the report also shows the Montana economy cooling somewhat, especially when compared with other Rocky Mountain cities, specifically in Idaho. Idaho Falls ranks #2 for "small metros", and Pocatello at #5, boosted by not only tech jobs, but short-term job growth.

Data Breach update

If you lost your data in that big data breach involving Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, this week's update is showing that the investigation into the problem is continuing to roll.

Traci Taylor reports a Montana judge has denied Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana's request to dismiss a class-action lawsuit following a significant data breach. The legal action, which stems from the 2023 MOVEit file transfer vulnerability, alleges that the insurer failed to maintain adequate cybersecurity protocols, leading to the exposure of sensitive personal and medical data for thousands of residents. By allowing the case to move forward to the discovery phase, the court has set the stage for a critical legal showdown that could redefine how much responsibility Montana corporations bear for data stolen from third-party software vendors.

The breach is the largest theft of personal information in the state's history. It started when the Safepay ransomware group reportedly gained unauthorized, "back door" access to Conduent Business Services, a third-party vendor of office services used by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The breach happened in October 2024, but wasn't identified until January. The attack was closed in April 2025. State Auditor James Brown wasn't notified until October, a year after the initial breach.

Prison expansion soon

The Montana Department of Corrections is moving forward with a massive expansion project at the state prison in Deer Lodge.

The multi-million dollar initiative aims to address long-standing capacity issues and improve safety standards for both staff and the incarcerated population.

Officials state the project is a critical step in modernizing Montana’s correctional infrastructure, which has faced significant strain due to a growing inmate census. The prison was plagued by a major water system failure last year.

     According to the Daily Montanan, the state is now finalizing the architectural and engineering phases.