BOZEMAN - A deep trough of Low-pressure continues to sit over the Pacific NW and Northern Rockies Monday producing unseasonably cool temperatures but only a few passing snow showers.
Cooler than normal temperatures are likely all week into next week with forecast highs and lows gradually moderating by the end of the week.
The next 2 to 3 nights a hard freeze will impact most of Montana with lows falling into the teens and 20s but could come up slightly by the end of the week.
The next chance for rain or snow will come Friday with a new pacific cold front but should move out by the weekend.
HISTORIC SNOW
Most of North-Central Montana saw historic snow totals over the weekend into Monday morning. From Great Falls to Browning into Eastern Glacier National Park total snowfall varied from 19” to 52”.
SW Montana did see periodic snowfall out of this last storm system with Dillon picking up between 4”-6” along with Anaconda. All mountain ranges in our region did see moderate to heavy snowfall. It will be interesting to see if this melts out or stays put heading into October.
SEPTEMBER PRECIPITATION
The month of September was impressive for total precipitation across the state with the Glendive area picking up between 6” to 8” of rain, Bozeman-Belgrade 3” to 4”, and Butte just under 2”. Most of SW Montana (exception is Butte) came within the top 5 wettest September’s on record.
Our rainy season is May and June and it’s more typical to see values over 3” per month in late Spring but it’s extremely rare to see values this high in September.
The Climate Prediction Center has most of Southern Montana under a “slightly below normal” range for precipitation for the first two weeks of October. So, there will be several opportunities for you to mow the lawn again in the next couple of weeks.
