Cooler temperatures, rain and possibly snow in the forecast

The warm weather the region has been experiencing the last few weeks is expected to turn a little cooler, with rain and even snow in the forecast for the region.

Temperatures mostly have been hitting the mid- to upper-60s for the past week, with the high in Havre Friday hitting 69 degrees.

Havre’s high Monday was 64.

But the forecast for this region is calling for the highs to drop, with the predicted high today in the 50s for this region and dropping into the 40s for the rest of the week, back into the 50s and low 60s by Saturday and possible into the 70s by Sunday.

And the week is expected to bring needed precipitation, although some of that might be in the form of snow, which might not be as welcome by some.

The forecast calls for a chance of showers this afternoon and evening, with a chance of rain or snow showers in the early morning hours Wednesday and into later Wednesday morning.

Showers are likely Wednesday and Wednesday night, with rain and snow showers a possibility Thursday morning, then rain after noon with a chance of rain or snow showers Thursday night.

Friday also predicts a chance of rain or snow showers before noon, then a chance of showers.

The precipitation is expected to mostly dry up, along with the warmer temperatures appearing, Saturday, with a chance of showers and still warmer temperatures Sunday.

The region can use the moisture.

Although as of Monday the station at the Havre City-County Airport had recorded .7 inches of precipitation for the month, it is still short of the normal precipitation for Havre on April 29, .97 inches.

The precipitation for the calendar year still is above normal, 3.14 inches as of April 29 compared to a normal value of 2.28 inches and is well-above normal for the water year that is measured from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Havre as of April 29 had 5.26 inches for the water year with the normal value 3.92 inches.

But the region still is working to recover from major water deficits experienced over the past several years.

National Weather Service reports that, based on past accumulations, the Havre area normally would have accumulated more than 49 inches of precipitation from Jan. 1, 2020, through mid-April, when the actual accumulation was about 42 inches, more than 7 inches short over the past three-and-a-half years.