GILLETTE, Wyo. — Hazy days are here thanks to wildfires burning in and around Wyoming. Smoke has filled the Wyoming sky and made the horizon murky.
That smoke could cause breathing issues for those sensitive to such environmental changes. Limiting outside activities when the smoke is thickest may help mitigate those issues, according to air quality reports.
As for the weather, Gillette will be warming up during this mainly dry week. Hazy and smoky conditions will linger for much of the week as highs work their way to triple digits by Thursday. Hot and dry conditions are likely to lead to elevated fire weather conditions mid- to late week, the National Weather Service in Rapid City, South Dakota, warns.
Today’s high will be near 88. Smoke is expected to be thickest after 2 p.m. Skies will otherwise be sunny, accompanied by a northeast breeze of 5–8 mph. Smoke will continue to be an issue through an otherwise partly cloudy night. The low will be 60.
Expect the haze to linger well into Tuesday. The forecast high is 92 degrees, and skies will be mostly sunny. Tuesday night, skies should clear as the low drops to around 62 degrees.
Wednesday will warm things up even more to 96 under sunny skies. The low will drop to around 65 during a mostly clear night. Winds from the northeast will pick up to 9–14 mph and shift to the south after midnight. Gusts of 23 mph can be expected.
Thursday looks to be the warmest day of the week as the mercury touches 100 degrees. Winds will come from the south at 11–16 mph with gusts of up to 26 mph possible. Thursday night will be mostly cloudy, which will trap some of that daytime heat. The low will be around 66 degrees.
Friday will see the mercury climb again to 93 degrees. The day also brings a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms after noon and before midnight. The low will be near 63.
Shower and thunderstorm chances will continue into Saturday. Skies will be mostly sunny and the high will be near 89. Sunday will be drier, making for sunny skies and a high of 89.
More on the weather is available from the National Weather Service in Rapid City.
