Montana's warm winter is one for the record books
This past winter was defined by historic warmth in the Rockies. Experts took a deep dive into climate data to see how that played out in western Montana.
Fall of 2025 into winter of 2026 was expected to be another La Niña weather pattern.
In the Northern Rockies. That can lead to cold and wet winters, but it’s not a guarantee. According to the National Weather Service in Missoula, several valley locations last winter shattered records for warmth.
Missoula recorded its second-warmest winter since record collection there started in 1893. The Garden City wrapped up the season more than 7 degrees warmer than average. When it came to snowfall, Missoula finished the season 18 inches below average.
Kalispell was nearly 6 degrees warmer than average, for its fourth-warmest winter since 1899.
Its snowfall was nearly 16 inches below average.
As the National Weather Service puts it, It was "a winter for the history books" in Butte, which recorded its warmest since 1895. That’s 10 degrees warmer than average.
West Glacier’s snowfall was more than 42 inches below average, and its temperatures the warmest since recordkeeping started there in 1948.
And lastly, another record fell in Libby which recorded its warmest winter since recordkeeping started there in 1986.
Forecasts predict abnormally warm, dry spring in the West
Weather experts have issued their long-term spring forecast and it looks a lot like this past winter – warmer and drier than normal.
Montana’s drought conditions could worsen if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s spring weather outlook is accurate.
NOAA says the temperature forecast for April through June shows above-normal temperatures are expected across most of the western United States.
The precipitation outlook through June favors below-average rainfall for most of the Rockies. The greatest likelihood of less-than-normal rain is forecast from the Pacific Northwest to the central Rockies.
The overall flood risk across most of the continental U.S. this spring is normal to below normal.
As of mid March, moderate to exceptional drought conditions exist across more than half the continental United States.
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map, abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions currently dominate most of Montana. Extreme drought is noted in Chouteau, Cascade and Teton Counties.
