Rains have helped with area wildfires in the past week.

The Silvertip Fire, at about 6,700 acres in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, saw about 0.41 inch of rain according to Inciweb.

“Firefighters observed minimal fire behavior with continued creeping and smoldering in Slim Creek below Limestone Peak and mid-slope on either side of Silvertip Creek,” the most recent report on the fire noted.

Still, many trails including the main Spotted Bear River  Trail (No. 83)  remain closed near the fire.

The Skillet Fire near Olney is now listed at 75% contained at 3,364 acres. There remains a closure area around the fire, but local homeowners have been allowed back into their properties.

The Skillet Fire was transitioning this week to  a Type 3 team.

Beneficial rain fell across most of the region last week, particularly on Friday, which saw a steady rain for a good portion of the day. Most areas saw about a half inch or a little more (areas north saw less) from that event, noted National Weather service meteorologist Brian Conlan, but then on Sunday night a thunderstorm dropped additionally  0.8 inch to 1 inch of rain from Blacktail Mountain to the Glacier Park international Airport.

The same storm rolled through the Columbia Falls area and brought more brief showers. There wasn’t much rain, just a few hundredths, but there was plenty of lightning.

Later this week it’s supposed to get warmer and drier with highs in the 90s by Friday. The rain has cleared the area, at least temporarily, of the thick smoke, though in the afternoons there is still a haze.

The next system could come Saturday, with a chance of more wet thunderstorms.