Montana’s latest snowpack report is out. There’s more moisture on the ground but it’s still below normal. Experts say there’s plenty of room for improvement and the clock is ticking.
During the last month, Montana’s snowpack has increased by double digit percentage points and now ranges from 65 to 75 percent of normal.
Eric Larson, a hydrologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources and Conservation Service in Livingston, says last month’s gains are great, but these are still very low moisture levels.
"2001 was a really low — exceptionally low — snow year in Montana," Larson says. "That’s one of the years that defines the lowest snowpack in many basins. In that year, snowpack percentages were about 60 to 70 percent of normal."
Larson says summer streamflows could also fall below normal due to low snowpack.
Up to two months remain in the normal snowpack accumulation season.