Firefighters are breathing a cautious sigh of relief. August’s fire activity hasn’t yet lived up to last month’s dire expectations.
Montana’s drought has noticeably worsened from just three months ago. Michael Downey Thursday told members of the Governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee that conditions across the state are a mixed bag, with west central Montana being the state’s driest area.
Downey is Drought Program Coordinator for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He says conditions have gotten worse since June. Statewide stream flows are generally running well below the median.
However, conditions are still a far cry from three years ago when extreme drought gripped most of the state. From a firefighting perspective, Montana’s faring better than many other states despite the deepening drought.
Wildfire officials anticipated a particularly busy August following July’s relentless triple-digit heat and tinder-dry conditions.But recent cooler temperatures, widely scattered showers and higher humidity has, for now, tempered fire activity.
Montanans are reminded there are still weeks, if not months of warm and dry weather ahead of us.
