Rinse and repeat: Northwest Montana’s summer soaked in rain
MATT BALDWIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
The sun sets after thunderstorm over Elbow Lake in Western Montana on Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Matt Baldwin/Daily Inter Lake)
Hagadone Media Montana REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR Matt Baldwin is the regional editor for Hagadone Media Montana, where he helps guide coverage across eight newspapers throughout Northwest Montana. Under his leadership, the Daily Inter Lake received the Montana Newspaper Association’s Sam Gilluly Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. A graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism, Baldwin has called Montana home for nearly 30 years. He and his wife, Sadie, have three daughters. He can be reached at 406‑758‑4447 or [email protected]. IMPACT: Baldwin’s work helps ensure Northwest Montana residents stay connected to their communities and informed about the issues that shape their everyday lives. | August 4, 2025 12:00 PM
Precipitation totals for July were well above normal across much of western Montana, as the wet and cool weather pattern gripping the region this summer is expected to continue into August.
Kalispell recorded 1.63 inches of rainfall in July, 143% of the month’s normal total, according to data from the National Weather Service station at Glacier Park International Airport. The city’s year-to-date precipitation reached 14.7 inches, or 99% of average.
The coldest day of the month in Kalispell was July 4, with a low of 42 degrees. The high for the month was 92 degrees on July 8. The city has yet to record a triple-digit temperature this year.
Missoula ended July with 1.4 inches of rain, 165% of normal. However, its year-to-date total remains below average at 9.33 inches, or 76%.
Butte saw near-normal rainfall for July, with 1.16 inches measured. The Mining City has received 8.27 inches of precipitation so far this year, 79% of normal.
Northwest Montana’s wet weather continued into August, with Kalispell receiving measurable rain each day so far this month.
Glacier National Park experienced heavy downpours Saturday, Aug. 2, with totals ranging from half an inch in West Glacier to 1.5 inches in Polebridge.
The extended forecast shows periodic wet weather for at least the next two weeks.
National Weather Service meteorologist Travis Booth said the ridge that typically forms over the desert Southwest during monsoon season has not developed this summer, allowing a steady stream of weather systems to impact the Northern Rockies.
“The pattern stays pretty much the same,” Booth said. “Rinse and repeat.”
Flash flood watches were in effect across western Montana on Monday afternoon. The Weather Service warned of possible washouts and debris flows.
“Some of those washouts are associated with burn scars from last year, but not all,” the Weather Service said in its Monday forecast. “If you’re in any area with heavy rain and steep terrain, stay alert for these debris flows!”
Another round of thunderstorms is likely Thursday into Friday, with below-normal temperatures expected over the weekend.
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