Rain, snow, on the way, National Weather Service is saying

Rain and snow should fall on area wildfires in the next 24 hours, the National Weather service is saying. The prediction is for about a half-inch at lower elevations to an inch of rain at higher elevations starting later today in Glacier National Park, said Alex Lukinbeal, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula.

The heaviest rain should come after midnight, he said.

The Flathead Valley in the greater Kalispell area should see .3 to .4 inch of rain.

In addition to rain, snow level in Glacier should drop to 6,000 feet with anywhere from 3 to 6 inches above 8,000 feet, he said.

The weather should also help clear the valleys of smoke, as a northwest flow will set up. Rains in British Columbia have already helped slow blazes there, which should help the smoke situation here, Lukinbeal noted.

He said it won’t be a widespread season ending event, although next week should be cooler than normal, with a chance of showers by the end of the week. The takeaway message is that we won’t see another large buildup of high pressure, which the region saw most of the summer, he said.

Little rain fell west of the divide in both July and August, which made for an intense fire season, as temperatures reached over 100 degrees, even in Glacier National Park.

The 12,420 acre Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier is the largest fire in the state. It’s been active the past couple of days.

Fire on the southern perimeter has been backing slowly toward the Inside North Fork Road, which is serving as a containment line. The fire is within 100-150 yards of the Inside North Fork Road in places. Work to reduce fuels along the road has concluded. On Saturday, helicopter water drops were used to slow fire movement to the south, and fire managers anticipate that the road will prevent the fire from spreading farther south.

On the north end of the fire, firefighters have reinforced existing trails with sprinklers to serve as fire lines, as the fire backs slowly down from the rocky slopes where it is currently burning. Natural features such as avalanche chutes and sparse fuels have somewhat limited fire growth. Firefighters continue to use hand and aerial ignition in order to establish a more secure fire line to hold fire away from Going-to-the-Sun Road.

The fire has burned the flanks of Mount Vaught, but hasn’t reached McDonald Creek.

Hoses and sprinklers are in place to protect the Trail of the Cedars and other facilities at the Avalanche Creek Campground in the event the fire reaches that area.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road remains closed at Apgar.

In the Bob Marshall Wilderness, a new fire, the Juliet Fire, has closed or restricted several trails in the White River - Spotted Bear Pas Larch Hill area. Trail is closed 83, from the junction with Three Sisters Creek Trail to Spotted Bear Pass. Trail 112, is closed from the junction with Pagoda Creek Trail 100 to its terminus at Larch Hill Pass. Trail 90, from the junction with West Fork Wall Creek Trail 229 to its terminus at the junction with trail 112 is closed. Trail 243 and Trail 739 are closed entirely.

Those trail closures will impact hikers on the Continental Divide Trail.

In addition, the Brownstone Fire near Big Prairie is causing backcountry travel closures. Trails closed include: Tillson Peak Trail 127, Danaher Creek Trail 126 – From Big Prairie to the Youngs Ford, Gordon Ford 126A, Wire Ford 126B, Catchem Creek Trail 269, Camp Creek Trail 233, Sandstone Creek Trail 743, Brownstone Creek Trail 465

Other fires have grown, but haven’t made any big runs, including:

- The Boundary Fire at the north end of Glacier near Waterton is still listed at 1,800 acres. Trails near the fire are closed and Waterton Lakes National Park is closed.

- The Paola Ridge Fire near Essex is 712 acres.

- The Whale Butte Fire north of Polebridge is 489 acres.

- The Coal Ridge Fire west of Polebridge is 280 acres and hasn’t grown much in days.