Record warmth, but will it last?

The region saw record highs on Sunday and it could see record highs again today (Wednesday) as warm air continues to dominate the early winter season.

National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Nester said the Glacier Park International Airport saw a record high Sunday of 59 degrees, which broke the previous record of 51 set in 1899.

In Hungry Horse, it reached 58 degrees, breaking a record of 55 set in 1949.

“Most areas set records,” Nester said Monday. He said record highs could come again Wednesday, as the jet stream has moved well into Canada, at least for the time being.

The warm air is expected to stick around through most of the week. Nester said even at 5,000 feet, the expectation is that nighttime lows won’t drop below 32.

That doesn’t bode well for ski resorts trying to open next week.

High winds associated with the warm air reached more than 100 mph in East

Glacier Park.

We could see another round of high winds into Thursday, with gusts in the 50s even in the Flathead.

The next chance of snow isn’t until Sunday, as temperatures drop into the 30s. But long range models are saying mid next week could be warm again.

Nester cautioned, however, about making any winter assumptions. He noted that in 1972, it was also a warm start to December, then a brutal cold snap struck.

“It turned out to be one of the coldest Decembers on record,” he said.

It was 55 on Dec. 3 in Missoula. And 20 below on Dec. 8 in 1972. It stayed below zero for weeks. By the Dec. 26, it was warm again, with 54 in Missoula and 50 in Kalispell.

This year is predicted to be a La Nina year, with more snow and cold than normal.

While it hasn’t been that cold yet, it has been wet. Nester said already parts of the Idaho Panhandle are out of drought status and Northwest Montana is easing.

In just the last few days, West Glacier has seen .77 inches on precipitation.

More is on the way — there’s a chance of rain almost everyday this week.

Night of Lights will be green, Nester said. But rain should be showery, nothing consequential, if it happens.

Not every place is soggy, however. There have been numerous human-caused wildfire starts across the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest to the east.

“It is rare for us to still be engaged this deeply in responding to wildfires, but over this past week we have had over six new human-caused starts on the Forest,” said Forest Supervisor Bill Avey. “Folks need to understand that conditions are still exceptionally dry, even at high elevations, and recent windy conditions can cause any new starts to spread quickly.”

On Sunday, Nov. 28, Meagher County and White Sulphur Springs City Fire Department volunteers assisted to suppress a campfire that was not properly extinguished near Charcoal Gulch.

Similar escaped campfires and warming fires have occurred over the past week near Carbonite King and Slate Creek areas west of Helena, as well as southwest of Sapphire Village, northwest of Judith Gap, and west of Augusta where fire restrictions are still in effect.

A large fire was burning east of Browning on Monday near the town of Blackfoot. There were no immediate reports of structures lost.