HELENA — Montana and most of the West did not have a banner snow year. While Montana finished below average for most of its cities, the highest elevations above about 7,000 feet had closer-to-average snow.
This winter's pattern was above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation for most of the West. A ridge of high pressure persisted, and the storm track shifted north, delivering record snow to British Columbia, Alberta, and Alaska. At times, atmospheric rivers from the Pacific delivered heavy, heavy moisture in a short amount of time. For the month of December, most of Montana's snotel sites that measure mountain snow data reported the snowiest or second-snowiest month on record.
Atmospheric rivers typically contain significant amounts of precipitation along with warmer temperatures coming from the Pacific Ocean. Last winter was full of atmospheric rivers, which is why precipitation in the lower elevations was close to normal, but snow totals were lower than normal - it was milder with more rain than snow. But in the highest elevations, the snow really stacked up.
Currently, above 7,000 feet in the mountains, there is healthy snowpack on the ground. Mountain ranges like the Missions, Swans, Cabinets, Bitterroot, Pintlers, and in the Bob Marshall Wilderness have near normal to above normal snow. The Beartooth Highway and the Cooke City area were locations that had above-average snowfall through the winter and there's still plenty of snow. and in Glacier National Park, crews plowing the Going to the Sun Road had little problem in the park down low, but have encountered deep snow around Logan Pass that will keep the opening of the iconic road closer to a normal date.
Anyone planning on hiking or camping in the higher elevations of montana maybe suprised at what's still on the ground up there.
