Snowpack Deficits Grow After Dry, Warm January

Well below normal January precipitation and unseasonably warm temperatures stalled Montana’s snowpack accumulation last month.

“Most Montana basins are now reporting below normal snowpack. While some higher elevations are holding onto their snowpack reserves, mid-elevation snowpack is falling behind, and low-elevation snowpack is noticeably absent,” said Florence Miller, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Hydrologist. “As of February 1, most major basins hold 65-90% of the median snowpack, a 10-30% decrease from the January 1 medians. Snowpack in the Bears Paw Mountains is curr...