Weather Wise: How the latest storm affect the drought

CAME THROUGH MONTANA OVER THELAST SEVERAL DAYS,THE HISTORY BOOKS WERERE-WRITTEN AS COLD, SNOWAND RAIN MADE IT A RECORDBREAKER.BUT WAS IT ADROUGHT BREAKER?

IN THIS WEEK’SWEATHERWISE,THE IMPACTS OF THE STORM WENT ALONG WAY, BUT JUSTNOT ALL THE WAY.[(***CGREVENITZ***)]{MONTANAJUST ENDURED ON OF THEBIGGEST STORMS OF THE YEAR ANDCERTAINLY OF RECENT MEMORY.BUT HEADING INTO THIS STORM,MUCH OF THE TREASURE STATE WASFACING SOMELEVEL OF DROUGHT, WITH EASTERNMONTANA UNDEREXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS.}{PRIOR TO THESTORM, THE FINE FOLKS AT THEGLASGOW NATIONALWEATHER SERVICE COMPILED HOWMUCH RAINWOULD BE NEEDED TO PULL THESTATE OUT OF DROUGHT.BEFORE THE STORM, MOST OFNORTHEAST MONTANA HADONLY RECEIVED ABOUT 25-50% OFNORMAL PRECIPITATION,WHILE CENTRAL AND WESTERN AREASWERE GENERALLYBETWEEN 50% OF NORMAL TO CLOSETO AVERAGE.NORTHEAST MONTANA NEEDED ABOUT3" OF RAIN TOGET CLOSE TO NORMAL, WITH THECENTRAL AND WESTERNAREAS NEEDING 1-2" OF RAIN.}{THE SEVERAL DAY LONGSTORM PRODUCED RECORD RAIN ANDSNOW FORSOME AREAS OF THE STATE.CENTRAL AND WESTERN AREASHAD WIDESPREAD TOTALS OF 1-3" OFLIQUIDEQUIVALENT.SOME OF THE MOUNTAINS HAD RADARESTIMATES OF OVER 4" OF LIQUIDEQUIVALENT.MANY OF THESE AREAS ARE NOWABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE YEARAND FOR THE WATER YEAR.}{EASTERN MONTANATOTALS WERE MORE ERRATIC.SOME AREAS SAW JUSTUNDER A HALF INCH, WHILEISOLATED AREAS SAW BETWEEN2-4" OF RAIN.}{SOME AREAS OF MONTANA WILLLIKELY BE REMOVED FROM DROUGHT,BUT ONE RECORD BREAKINGSTORM IS NOT ENOUGH.IDEALLY CONSISTENTPRECIPITATION IS NEEDED OVER ANEXTENDED PERIOD OF TIMETO REALLY END A DROUGHT.}{AND NOW YOU’RE A LITTLE MOREWEATHERWISE.}[(***CGREVENITZ***)]{TONIGHT}{ASLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN BEFORE8PM,THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAINAFTER 2AM.MOSTLY CLOUDY, WITH A