HELENA — Climatologically, this is the hottest time of year, but here we are again with another storm system producing cool, wet weather more reminiscent of spring or fall. This has been the pattern for July, as there have been 4 of these events.
The first cool down of the month happened on July 4th with widespread showers, thunderstorms and cooler than average temperatures lasting for 3 days. After a brief warmup into the 90s, temperatures dropped again on July 10th and 11th with a small amount of precipitation. A storm on the 14th and 15th of July broke records as significant rain fell with record cold high temperatures. That storm produced one to two inches of steady rain, resulting in the 10th wettest day ever on record for Great Falls. Helena, Great Falls, Cut Bank, Lewistown and Glasgow only had highs in the 50s, setting record cold afternoon highs. And with Monday’s storm, more than an inch has already fallen around the east glacier area and temperatures are between 15 and 30 degrees colder than normal.
These storms dropping south into Montana from the Gulf of Alaska have kept temperatures cool while bringing some places that were very dry, like Cut Bank Lewistown and Great Falls, close to normal for year-to-date precipitation. Precipitation deficits are usually not made up in the month of July.
Summer is not over. It will get hot. There will be more wildfires. But this July has been a pleasant treat without scorching heat and bone-dry conditions.
