PHOTO: The rain has finally let up just in time for a long July Fourth weekend. But even though the forests are a little wetter, they can dry out quickly, so land managers caution campers and others to be careful with fire.
The recent weather system dropped 2 inches of rain in the Missoula Valley and similar amounts around much of Montana over about 48 hours. June is normally Missoula’s wettest month, averaging about 2 inches of precipitation out of an annual total of 14 inches, but it usually doesn’t all come in the last two days of the month. The south and east parts of the state had developed a slight bit of drought as of early June, although the rain might have turned that around for now. But the next week of 80-degree temperatures could rapidly dry things out, setting the stage for wildfire.