Chasing Snow: The hairs on the hare's back

The winter of 2024 will be remembered as one of the driest winters on record for Montana. According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the average statewide snow water equivalent (a measure of how much water is in our snowpack) was only about an inch above the 30-year-average record low in March. In the Mission Mountains of the upper Swan River watershed, the snow water equivalent was 36% below average. These conditions aren't a complete surprise, as forecasters predicted that El Niño climate patterns would impact our winter weather. El Niño is a term used to describe the wea...