Extensive rainfall in Montana on Wednesday and Thursday may signal an early end to the 2024 fire season. While fires continue, high humidity and mild winds in the forecast are expected to slow fire spread and minimize new fire starts.
Jen Kitsmiller, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Missoula, noted the weather patterns suggest western Montana’s fire season is nearing its end. “It’s not totally abnormal to have something like this bring an end to fire season,” Kitsmiller said.
The rainfall has significantly impacted major fires in western Montana. The Railroad and Daly fires, burning near the Ravalli and Granite county border, had doubled in size before the heavy rain. Public Information Officer Lynn McAloon stated that precipitation, along with firefighting efforts, has halted further expansion. Similar effects were seen on the Sharrott Creek and Johnson fires.
Eastern Montana faces thunderstorms that could spark new fires, but cooler temperatures and increased precipitation are expected to reduce wildfire risks.
In southeastern Montana, the Short Draw Fire, a 30,500-acre fire that started in Campbell County, Wyoming, is still active. The fire bears resemblance to the Remington Fire, which has now grown to 190,000 acres, spanning Powder River, Big Horn, and Rosebud counties. The Remington Fire is almost entirely contained.
The Remington Fire is one of the largest wildfires in Montana since 2017, contributing to over half of the 354,000 acres burned this summer.
The 2024 fire season ranks as the fourth-worst since 2015, according to the National Interagency Fire Center and Montana Department of Natural Resources. In 2021, approximately 750,000 acres burned, and in 2017, the worst recent fire season, 1.3 million acres were affected.
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