GREAT FALLS — Montana residents should prepare for the possibility of a warmer than average summer ahead, as weather experts predict a 30% to 50% chance of above-average temperatures across the state.
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National Weather Service meteorologist Julianna Glinskas says much of the western US, including Montana, may face a warm and dry season.
"We are looking at kind of a favorable setup for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation over the summer," said Glinskas.
She added, "We're looking at the potential for a high pressure to set up over the inner-mountain west around the Utah area, and so that will kind of favor above normal temperatures."
The majority of the country is trending above average for June, July, and August, with Montana staying in the red "above-average" zone for most of the summer months.
Most of these above average temperatures are remaining around the Rockies, another indication of high pressure in the west.
"Main concern with that will be the potential for drought and also fire season as of right now. Little hard to say. It will really depend on what happens during the months of May and June. That's typically when we get a lot of our precipitation," said Glinskas.
While the precipitation has remained steady through the last couple of weeks, more will be needed to avoid severe drought conditions that we've seen roughly the past couple of years, though conditions seem to be slowly improving.
"Any amount of precipitation we can get is always beneficial. We'll take whatever we can get," said Glinskas.
So far, Montana's summer is shaping up to be a hot and dry one, but there's still hope for some May and June moisture that will hopefully hold the drought conditions off a little longer.
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