An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect across several Montana counties, issued by the National Weather Service offices in Great Falls, Billings, and Glasgow. The warning covers Western and Central Chouteau County, Cascade County below 5,000 feet, Musselshell County, Northern Phillips County, McCone County, Daniels County, and Central and Southeast Phillips County. It became effective on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 2:32 PM MDT and runs through Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM MDT. If you are in any of these areas, this warning is active now and requires immediate attention to a few concrete protective actions.
What NWS Is Directing Residents to Do Right Now
The National Weather Service Great Falls MT, the lead issuing office, has given residents a direct and specific set of instructions. Follow them in full, not partially.
Never leave young children or pets in unattended vehicles. This is the first and most urgent point in the official alert. Car interiors reach lethal temperatures within minutes under these conditions, not over the course of an hour. A quick errand is long enough for a tragedy. If a child or pet is with you, they come with you when you leave the vehicle, every single time.
Drink plenty of fluids and stay in an air-conditioned space. The National Weather Service is explicit: stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and keep hydrating. These are not optional comfort measures during an Extreme Heat Warning. They are the core protective actions.
Check on relatives and neighbors. NWS specifically calls this out. Elderly residents, people who live alone, and those without reliable air conditioning are at elevated risk and may not seek help on their own. A phone call or a brief visit can make a critical difference.
If you must go outside, dress appropriately and limit exertion. Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. Move strenuous outdoor activities to early morning or evening, when temperatures are lower. The NWS instruction is clear that the goal is minimizing time outdoors and protecting the body when time outside is unavoidable.
Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and act on them. The official alert calls residents to take action when they see symptoms, not to wait and see. Heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke quickly. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. If someone around you is confused, stops sweating despite the heat, or loses consciousness, call 911 immediately.
Putting This Warning in Context for Preparedness Planning
Extreme heat events in Montana can catch residents off guard precisely because the state does not experience them with the same frequency as the Southwest. That unfamiliarity can lead to underestimating the risk, especially in homes and vehicles that are not routinely prepared for sustained high temperatures. The window for this warning, roughly 21 hours, is short but concentrated. The preparedness lesson here is a familiar one on this site: the most protective actions, keeping a vehicle-check habit, knowing your neighbors, and having a cool space identified in advance, cost nothing and take almost no time to build into a routine. If this warning caught you without a clear plan, that is useful information for next time. Use it.
For the latest updates on this warning, monitor the National Weather Service at weather.gov or contact your local emergency management office in Chouteau, Cascade, Musselshell, Phillips, McCone, or Daniels County directly.
For the fundamentals that apply beyond this specific alert, see our Extreme Heat Preparedness guide.
Source: National Weather Service (NWS Great Falls MT, NWS Billings MT, NWS Glasgow MT). Active alert data retrieved 2026-08-01 22:01 UTC via api.weather.gov.
