Weather Wise: Wild Weather in Montana

DON’T LIKE THE WEATHER, WAIT 5MINUTES AND IT WILL CHANGE.NOW TWAIN WAS SPREAKING ABOUTNEW ENGLANDWEATHER, BUT I WONDER WHAT HEWOULD SAY IF HE WERE INMONTANA OVER THE LAST FIVEWEEKS.IN THIS WEEK’SWEATHERWISE, THERE HAVE BEENWILD CHANGES HEREIN BIG SKY COUNTRY.[(***CGREVENITZ***)]{IT’S BEEN AWILD FEW WEEKS HERE INMONTANA.RIGHT NOW, NEAR RECORD HEAT WILLBAKE THE TREASURE STATE AGAIN.THIS COMING JUST TWO WEEKS AFTERONE OF THE HOTTEST DAYS EVEROCCURED ON JUNE 14TH WHEN SOMEPLACES HAD TEMPERATURETHAT CHALLENGED THEIR HOTTESTTEMPERATUREEVER RECORDED.}{THAT HEAT CONTRIBUTEDTO DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHERCONDITIONS AND A RASH OFEARLY SEASON FIRES BLEW UP,INCLUDING THE DEEP CREEKCANYON FIRE AND THE ROBERTSONDRAW FIRE,BURNING NEARLY 35 THOUSANDACRES.}{JUSTBEFORE THAT HEAT, SEVERETHUNDERSTORMS RIPPEDACROSS THE STATE.LIGHTNING STRUCK ATRANSFORMER IN HELENA AND THEENTIRE SURROUNDINGAREA WAS WITHOUT POWER FORHOURS.GREATFALLS GOT HIT WITH A TREMENDOUSMICROBURST.AFEW DAYS BEFORE THAT, A TORNADOFORMED OUT INEASTERN MONTANA.THUNDERSTORMS THEREPRODUCED UP TO 4" OF RAIN ANDFLASH FLOODING NEARWOLF POINT.}{SOMEHOW MEMORIAL DAY WEEKENDWEATHER WAS NEARLY PERFECT, WHENIT USUALLYRAINS AND SNOWS MOST OF THEWEEKEND.}{BUT SPEAKINGOF SNOW, A RECORD BREAKINGSNOWSTORM HITPARTS OF MONTANA JUST BEFOREMEMORIAL DAYWEEKEND.UP TO 2 FEET OF SNOW FELL.RECORD COLDSPREAD ACROSS THE STATE THATTOOK ITS TOLL ON PEOPLE’SGARDENS AND THE EARLY SEASONFOLIAGE.}{ANDALL OF THIS HAPPENING SOMEHOW ASA DROUGHTWORSENS ACROSS MUCH OFMONTANA.}{INTENSE HEAT, TWISTERS, ELECTRICALSTORMS, KILLERFROST AND BLANKETS OF SNOW.MAYBE MARK TWAINWOULD HAVE BEEN LEFTSPEECHLESS.}{I’M CHIEFMETEOROLOGIST CURTIS GREVENITZAND NOW YOU’RE ALITTLE MORE WEATHERWISE.}