Area sees much-needed rain

The region finally saw some rain hit, but what it will do for the extreme drought conditions - and what will come for precipitation in coming weeks - remains to be seen.

As of midnight Tuesday, following rain Sunday, steady rain most of Monday and rain off and on all day Tuesday, Havre had received 1.97 inches of rain for June, putting it 1.34 inches above normal for June 7.

National Weather Service in Great Falls tweeted Tuesday at 2:56 a.m., before the rain continued Tuesday, that "Between 1.5" and 2" of much-needed rain have been recorded along parts of the Hi-Line from near Havre to Malta."

The recording station at Havre City-County Airport recorded .4 inches Tuesday, but the rain this week through midnight Tuesday still left Havre 1.39 inches short for the calendar year and 1.19 inches short for the water year that runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

All of the 1.97 inches Havre recorded fell Sunday through Tuesday.

The drought is decimating the area and blasting agriculture producers, with many unirrigated pastures and hayfields virtually bare in this part of the Golden Triangle. Ranchers were saying before the rains fell that they already were selling stock and grain producers were saying crops already were starting to burn.

At the end of May, Havre had .41 inches of precipitation for the month, 1.45 inches short of the normal amount of 1.86 inches. At that point, Havre was 2.73 inches short of the normal amount for the calendar year, with 1.45 inches instead of 4.18 inches, and 2.53 inches short for the water year, 3.29 inches instead of 5.82 inches.

After the rains this week, Havre jumped to 3.42 inches for the calendar year, with the normal value at 4.8 inches, and 5.26 inches for the water year, with the normal value 6.45 inches.

And those water deficits are adding to several years with off-and-on-again precipitation that often left this part of Montana in a water deficit for the calendar year and water year.

On the National Drought Monitor released last Thursday, the most recent available at the time this article was written, most of Blaine, all of Hill and most of Liberty counties as well as the northwest edge and northeast tip of Chouteau County were listed in extreme drought. The surrounding areas were in severe drought.

The short-term forecast called for warmer temperatures and dry the rest of the week, with highs expected to hit the 80s Friday.

Sunday's forecast calls for a slight chance of showers and a chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday night and Monday and showers possibly continuing through Tuesday night.

The National Weather Service Climate Center's one-month outlook for June predicts a 33 percent to 40 percent chance for below-normal temperatures and a 33 percent to 40 percent chance of above normal precipitation in the south-central to western part of the state, just outside of this region. Most of Liberty, Chouteau, Hill and Blaine counties are expected to have an even chance for above- or below-normal precipitation through June.

The three-month prediction for most of this region has a 33 percent to 40 percent chance of above-normal temperatures and a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of below-normal precipitation.