drought

A new report suggests Montana’s drought could deepen significantly this summer. Already, 60 percent of Montana is in moderate to extreme drought. Another 15 percent is abnormally dry. State officials have agreed to release water from Silver Lake to improve flows to the Clark Fork

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.

Montana’s snowpack is mostly normal following soggy weather conditions last month, but more snow is needed in the mountains.

A recent report from the American Farm Bureau Federation showed that Montana lost millions of dollars worth of crops due to extreme weather; A federal judge in Montana this week extended a pause in an ongoing lawsuit over the state’s attempt to ban TikTok.

Montana and nearby states are on track to have one of the most comprehensive networks of drought monitors in the world.

Areas around the northern Rocky Mountain Front are predicted to experience severe drought, while much of the rest of the state is predicted to see a moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions.

Montana will need an extremely wet spring to avoid widespread drought once summer arrives. Scientists are skeptical that the needed moisture will arrive.

Drought conditions are getting worse across much of Montana and it’s going to take above-normal springtime snow and rain to break out of the spiral.

Montana’s updated Drought Management Plan is now complete. Three years in the making, its ambitious goal is to build drought resilience across this semi-arid state. The plan’s authors describe it as a new way to proactively think about, respond and adapt to 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.