Smoky skies prevail in Montana; flash flood watch issued for east half of Glacier Park, Rocky Mountain Front

The dark skies the past few days in Columbia Falls aren’t just from clouds — it’s from smoke from fires in northern Canada, the National Weather Service is saying.

The fires have burned more than 900,000 acres and more than 5,000 people have been out of their homes for a week in Alberta, according to the Calgary Herald.

The air quality east of the divide was poor today, with Helena having the worst air quality. Some ash has even been reported falling along the Montana-Canada border.

National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Gibson said things should begin to improve over the weekend, with a more westerly flow of air that will push the smoke away. Alberta could also see some beneficial moisture.

The smoke has been flowing as far east as Minnesota, Gibson said.

The east side of the Glacier National Park could see heavy rains today. There is a flash flood watch for the Rocky Mountain Front as well. Heavy thunderstorms are possible, bringing rain to soils that are already drenched from heavy rains last weekend, where places along the Front saw as much as 6 inches of rain.

The rain will also cause rapid snowmelt.