Natural Resources Conservation Service

Montana’s early snow season is off to a slow start, but it's too soon to be worried, hydrologist says.

Scattered rain and snow showers last month brought modest gains to Montana’s summer water supply outlook. However, the forecast in most locations remains below normal.

Montana’s latest snowpack report is out. There’s more moisture on the ground but it’s still below normal. Experts say there’s plenty of room for improvement and the clock is ticking.

January’s weather did little to improve Montana’s record low snowpack. It’s going to take a major change in the weather to improve conditions.

Warmer than normal temperatures last month resulted in rapid snowmelt throughout much of the state. That has some experts hoping for a very wet June to help bolster projected streamflows as we head into the drier summer months.

Above-normal precipitation last month boosted snowpack levels across most of the state. The current snowpack gives experts some early insight into what the spring snowmelt might look like.

Montana’s snowpack decreased statewide following January’s relatively dry conditions.

According to the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bozeman, Montana’s snowpack conditions are ‘ideal’ following two months of near constant precipitation.

For the third consecutive month, precipitation was well below normal across most of Montana. Mountain snowpack is subpar across most of the state and time is running out to make up the difference.

“All major river basins have a below-normal snowpack, except for the Lower Clark Fork, Kootenai and St. Mary’s River basins," says Eric Larson, a snow survey hydrologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bozeman.