Dry conditions and warm winter temperatures hampered snowpack accumulation across Montana during the month of January.

In the Flathead Basin, snowpack dwindled from 109% of the norm at the beginning of the year to 81% on Feb. 1. Some sites have fared even worse. Blacktail Mountain has only accumulated 45% of its typical snowpack, and the SNOTEL site in Many Glacier is currently reporting snowpack levels at 22% of historic norms. 

“While some higher elevations are holding onto their snowpack reserves, mid elevation snowpack is falling behind, and low elevation snowpack is noticeably absent,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service hydrologist Florence Miller in a Feb. 5 statement. 

Western Montana received near-record levels of precipitation in December, but much of that water came in the way of rain rather than snow. Regional weather patterns took a turn for the drier in January, with the Flathead Basin receiving about half as much precipitation as it usually does.  

Temperatures, meanwhile, have continued to soar far above wintertime norms. In addition to snowmelt at lower elevations, officials said the warm weather has compressed the snowpack in many mountain ranges, making it denser than usual. 

Officials said it is still too early to predict how this season’s snowpack will influence streamflow during the summer months. Snowpack typically peaks between late March and early May, so there is still time for peaks to pack on a few inches.  

The forecast for February offers some hope, as precipitation in Northwest Montana is expected to be slightly about average. Temperatures are expected to remain elevated in the beginning of February before falling back to near normal in the latter part of the month. 

“With two to three months remaining in the snowpack accumulation season, a return of winter and continued snowfall will be crucial to catch up current snowpack deficits,” reads the Feb. 5 press release. “While current snowpack deficits can still be recovered, the larger they grow, and the shorter the time to catch up, the less likely full recovery becomes.”    

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].