Area sees second day of record heat

North-central Montana saw a second day of scorching weather Tuesday with, again, new records set for high temperatures, although forecasts predict it to cool down in this area the rest of the week.

National Weather Service’s recording station at Little Bullwhacker Creek in Blaine County recorded 105 degrees Tuesday, beating the previous record for June 15 set in 1987 at 98 degrees.

Several high temperatures in the region were close to that, with several new records, but Weather Service Meteorologist Paul Nutter in Great Falls said that, while the heat wave is unusual, it is not unprecedented.

Harlem set a record of 107 degrees June 4 in 1988, and the highest temperature in this region — 106 at Armells Creek in Fergus County — tied the record set in Chinook June 15, 1933.

The state high Tuesday was at Brandenberg, 111 degrees.

Havre City-County Airport recorded a high temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the previous record of 102 degrees set in 1933.

Fort Belknap Indian Reservation’s recording station in Blaine County also saw 104 degrees, beating the previous record for the day of 84 degrees, set in 2003, by 20 degrees with Harlem hitting 103, beating its previous record of 102 in 1933, Hogeland seeing 101, with its previous record not available, and Chester hitting 97 degrees, with the previous record 87 degrees in 1995.

But the record heat appears to be over for now. The forecasts for this part of the state call for highs in the upper 70s today and Thursday with highs in the 70s and 80s Friday and Saturday and the 60s Sunday with a chance of rain, rainshowers and thunderstorms Saturday night through Sunday.