drought

According to the latest U.S Drought Monitor map, Montana’s entire southern tier, as well a respectable slice of the state’s mid-section, is drought free. Conditions across northern Montana aren’t as encouraging.

In this episode, we answer a question from a listener who wants to know what's really behind these wildly low water levels we're seeing in Montana this year.

Drought conditions over the past year have generally improved across much of Montana. The state’s northwestern corner, however, is proving to be a stubborn exception.

The federal government has declared Flathead and Lincoln counties as primary natural disaster areas due to ongoing drought.

The Milk River basin’s snowpack in north-central Montana sits at 250% of normal. That’s a major shot in the arm for local farmers and ranchers who have endured years of devastating drought.

Montana’s cool, wet spring and early summer is on the cusp of giving way to hotter and drier conditions. The summer wildfire season will soon ramp up, though potential for significant fires remains normal this month.

Montana’s cool, wet spring has improved the state’s drought conditions. The state is expected to release a snapshot of drought conditions Thursday.

The megadrought bedeviling the American West got even drier last year and is becoming the deepest dry spell in more than 1,200 years. Monday's study says the megadrought is now the worst-case scenario officials and scientists worried about in the 1900s. The drought deepened so much in 2021 that it is 5% worse than the old record in the late 1500s. They calculate that 42% of this drought is due to global warming from the burning of fossil fuels.

Officials with Montana’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory committee say the state’s drought conditions have persisted in the fall, but they’re cautiously optimistic about upcoming weather patterns.

As farmers are wrapping up wheat harvest, they are seeing lower yields as a result of drought conditions. But higher wheat prices may help some producers offset the losses.