The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map no longer shows any areas of "extreme" drought in western Montana. After years of low streamflows and significant legacy drought issues, most of the region is now experiencing only "moderate" drought conditions.
“In terms of that extreme drought evaporating this fall, that was due to a really great October," says Michael Downey, the drought program coordinator for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
According to Downey, as western Montana’s drought-related crisis has eased:
"Things were falling off a cliff in north-central Montana where they were drought-free for a lot of the summer. Then September arrived and it [precipitation] just turned off and got warm. Now we’re into severe and extreme drought in north-central Montana. It’s been a really topsy-turvy year.”
Most of south-central and southeastern Montana are currently drought free.
While it’s snowing in western Montana’s mountains, it’s raining in the mid and lower elevations. That leaves less snowpack to feed our rivers and streams in the spring.
Downey notes there’s plenty of time for the snowpack to accumulate this winter.
