Thinking about Montana Think twice worst weather in Nation ! (Billings: statistics, foods)

[DontLookPhoto]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I didn't realize Northwest MT was that semi-arid?

In certain places it can be very arid, (like here on the C.S.K.T. reservation, spanning portions of three counties !)
This photo I took out in the middle of our valley near Wild Horse Hot Springs Resort, looking west at the southern end of The Cabinet Mountains.
I hiked up to the top of that snow covered peak, (Mount Baldy) six times, all in the fall or summer when the snow was mostly gone.
There is a trail a few miles long but all steep switchbacks. There is also an easy way up from the Plains Montana side.
Both involve long bumpy dirt road trips to reach the trail-heads though.
There is a small trout lake up at the base of the mountain and there used to be a fire lookout up there too. Not much evidence of that left though.
Photo was taken in Lake county but Mount Baldy is in Sanders county, well off the reservation in the Lolo National forest, west half.
There are a few small trees at the top and on a clear day one can see the peaks of Glacier Park.

Our valley has a lot of grassland and sagebrush, also a few wolves and an occasional grizzly bear !

[Canonind]

It's a balmy 32 degrees where I am currently.

[DontLookPhoto]

Originally Posted by Canonind

It's a balmy 32 degrees where I am currently.

If this is all that "Global" warming then I guess we are "Basking In Our little Snow Globes"

[Hawknest]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I didn't realize Northwest MT was that semi-arid?

Where? I lived in the Flathead for several years. The snow that fell in November was still on the ground in April. Semi-arid - not there. In Eastern Montana and Wyoming - absolutely!

If Wyoming knew how much water there was in NW Montana - they'd have built a pipeline up there to draw down the water.

[Hawknest]

In Whitehorse at 6am this morning: 9F, dew point -18F, humidity 65%, expected high 13F

In Kalispell this morning: 35F, dew point 34, humidity 97%, expected high 50F

[DontLookPhoto]

Originally Posted by Hawknest

Where? I lived in the Flathead for several years. The snow that fell in November was still on the ground in April. Semi-arid - not there. In Eastern Montana and Wyoming - absolutely!
If Wyoming knew how much water there was in NW Montana - they'd have built a pipeline up there to draw down the water.

Nobody here claimed that the Flathead valley that you lived in was arid or semi arid, you are right, western Montana is not very arid at all but as you can see in my photos there are little pockets where it is very arid in western Montana.
Go look up the precipitation statistics for "Camas Prairie Montana." That is the most decidedly arid location in western Montana and it's virtually a desert.
There are pockets of low precipitation scattered about. There are also pockets that look like rain-forests with ferns and cedars.
There is a lot of water in in the lakes and rivers and one of the big rivers run through a very arid spot here in western Montana. (My secret float-fishing spot)

This photo is of the valley we live in. At the time of this post I don't see any
snow in our valley at all. It looks very much like the dry arid scene in this photo.

[RogueYak]

Even in the "Big" Bitterroot Valley, I notice the precip variations, most notably as one heads from east to west. It reminds me, to a certain degree, of the "wet vs dry side" element we had in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by Hawknest

Where? I lived in the Flathead for several years. The snow that fell in November was still on the ground in April. Semi-arid - not there. In Eastern Montana and Wyoming - absolutely!

If Wyoming knew how much water there was in NW Montana - they'd have built a pipeline up there to draw down the water.

We don't need it. That's why we drain all our rivers to the North into Montana.

[Hawknest]

Originally Posted by DontLookPhoto

Nobody here claimed that the Flathead valley that you lived in was arid or semi arid, you are right, western Montana is not very arid at all but as you can see in my photos there are little pockets where it is very arid in western Montana.
Go look up the precipitation statistics for "Camas Prairie Montana." That is the most decidedly arid location in western Montana and it's virtually a desert.
There are pockets of low precipitation scattered about. There are also pockets that look like rain-forests with ferns and cedars.
There is a lot of water in in the lakes and rivers and one of the big rivers run through a very arid spot here in western Montana. (My secret float-fishing spot)

This photo is of the valley we live in. At the time of this post I don't see any
snow in our valley at all. It looks very much like the dry arid scene in this photo.

By dry - what's your standard? Less than 8" (def of semi-arid)

[Hawknest]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

We don't need it. That's why we drain all our rivers to the North into Montana.

Yeah, right. You'd rather drink fracking water!