Dan Borsum

It’s tempting to assume Montana’s summer wildfire season is going to be severe following our windy, dry and warmer-than-average winter. The official outlook released last week, however, paints a more nuanced picture.

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday received his first wildfire season briefing of the year. The outlook is a mixed bag. Most of Montana’s land and fire management agencies say they’re prepared for fire season. The weather forecast, however, is grim.

MT’s fire season got off to a slow start this year due to persistent rainfall. But fire officials told Gov. Gianforte that a drying and warming trend will change that.

Forecasts for this summer’s wildfire season predict much of the state will experience normal wildfire risk, but northwest Montana could experience higher than usual wildfire activity.