Back in early spring Montana’s summer drought conditions were expected to be a lot worse than they currently are. June storms brought some relief, but the long-term outlook is less encouraging.
Montana’s warm, dry early spring was the perfect setup for severe and widespread drought this summer. What a difference late June made.
"This really nice storm came in at the end of the month and – I wouldn’t quite say, saved the day — but definitely changed the projection for July, says Troy Blandford, water information manager for the Montana State Library.
Blandford told members of the governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee Thursday that widespread rain and snow in June – and another wet storm in late May – helped carry Montana through the first half of summer.
The latest U.S Drought Monitor’s map of Montana shows conditions have improved since May, especially across the state’s northern half. Most of northwest and west-central Montana show no signs of drought.
Southwest, south-central and southeast Montana are experiencing moderate to severe drought. Portions of Sweetgrass, Golden Valley and Stillwater Counties are in extreme drought.
Montana’s acting State Forester Wyatt Frampton told the committee experts anticipate average fire behavior for the rest of the summer.
"Which for Montana, ‘average’ for us is several thousand fires and hundreds of thousands of acres burned," Frampton said.
National firefighting resources are stretched thin due to unprecedented fire activity in the West and in Canada. Montana officials say they’re prepared to aggressively tackle new fire starts, even as the landscape will become more susceptible to late summer heat and flash droughts.
The long-term outlook is not promising. A powerful, so called "Super El Nińo" is building which might lead to yet another mild, relatively dry winter.
