BOZEMAN — A return to cooler temperatures this week is helping to slow some of the melting of high country snow critical to this summer's water supply.
While everywhere is drier than would be optimal for summer, forecasters with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) say some basins, like the Upper Clark Fork and the Upper Bitterroot did manage to peak above average snowfall and that should help with "sustained" streamflow this summer.
NRCS says while the May rains, and even snow helped other basins like the Flathead and Rocky Mountain Front, many Southwest Montana basins are below average or even dropped.
Forecasters say mid-to-low elevation snow melted out weeks ago, and although May's weather helped slow snowmelt, last week's spike in temperatures drove many rivers to their annual snowmelt peak. And with warmer than normal temps and below-normal precipitation expected in June, that could be problematic.
