Reduced Mountain Snow In Montana Is Borderline Scary

This past winter has been rather mild outside of a few aggressive weather systems. Many factors contribute to this. If you'd like to learn more about those factors and how they will affect our summer in Treasure State, check out the article below. 

Read It Here: The Bottom Line On Montana's Summer Weather Outlook

The lack of significant storms over the winter has put Montana in a rather concerning situation. Snowpack levels throughout the mountains are tending significantly below average. Some drainage basins are as low as 42 percent of normal. Although we need the moisture, the recent rain has only helped to melt what little snow is left. 

Concerns Of Low Snowpack In Montana

Although there are many impacts from lower-than-average snowpack, two main concerns that come to mind are agriculture and increased chances for wildfires. Although a significant number of Montana's farmers are dryland, a decent number still rely on irrigation. And they know all too well what a dry forest means in terms of out-of-season fire season. 

Rapid Mountain Snowmelt

What little snow is left in the mountains has rapidly melted over the past few weeks. This has resulted from the apparent, warmer-than-average temperatures and the not-so-obvious rain. As I mentioned above, yes, we need the rain, but mountain rain leads to rapid snowmelt. If we lose all the snowpack, there will be very little to draw from throughout the summer. In other words, what we have now is all we'll get regarding irrigation.