Moisture and drought update for Montana

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]After recent scattered showers across Montana, the rain may feel like a welcome shift, but meteorologists say appearances can be deceiving. Yes, you can definitely see the impact of recent rain here. Greener grass, damp soil, and standing water in some places, but forecasters say zoom out across Montana and the picture looks a little different. We're still behind where we should be for moisture this time of year. Although we've had periods of rain, it's still been it's just been generally dry. Meteorologists say every region of Montana remains below average for precipitation, while warmer temperatures are speeding up drying conditions. The situation with the the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index shows the area is is very dry. The state of Montana is a ranging generally about 3 and 1/2° F to more than 4 and 1/2° F above normal.

[00:00:59]And heading into summer, there's little sign of an immediate shift. Forecasters say the same trend, warmer than average temperatures and below average precipitation, is expected to continue into June. It would be great if we could have some more precipitation here, but it's hard to tell. The seasonal outlook for precipitation for the months of May, June, and July, it's just looking really dry. So, yes, the recent rain helped, but meteorologists say one rainy stretch doesn't erase a trend. With hotter summer months just around the corner, what Montana sees in the next several weeks could make a big difference. For now, forecasters say the recent rain is welcome, but not enough to close the gap. In Cascade County, Briana Juno, MTN News.