Montanans can expect a relatively normal fire season this summer, as reported by a regional fire weather forecaster during a Tuesday morning briefing in Bozeman.
Dan Borsum, a forecaster based in Missoula with the Northern Rockies Coordinating Center, mentioned that the moisture from spring has helped offset the impacts of a generally poor winter snowpack in Montana. (In early January, water supply forecasters noted that half of their monitoring stations were reporting record-low accumulations due to an exceptionally dry period in November and December, but the situation improved later with storms like an early May rainfall that brought multiple inches of precipitation to some areas of the state.)
Borsum addressed a wildfire season outlook event hosted by Gallatin County in collaboration with other governmental partners, including the Custer Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone National Park.
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Borsum also mentioned that regions of the state experiencing multiple years of precipitation deficits, such as northwest Montana and parts of southwest Montana, are more likely to see an increased risk of fire growth.
“It’s a delicate balance in terms of who might see larger fires this summer and who might not,” he stated. “Conditions can change rapidly in the Northern Rockies, sometimes within just 10 days.”
Borsum noted the forecasters are predicting a shift from an El Niño weather pattern to La Niña towards the end of the summer, a swift reversal of ocean temperature trends that influence air temperature and precipitation changes. In the northern American Rockies, La Nina typically brings cooler temperatures and above-average precipitation.
Borsum also highlighted the development of significant storm systems in California this spring, resulting in wetter conditions than usual, which could benefit Montana by facilitating easier access to large air tankers and other firefighting resources that can help contain the spread of fires.
For the first time, Montana will have exclusive use of a large helicopter, a Chinook, throughout the fire season. This helicopter will be on standby for wildfire response starting July 1, according to Gallatin County Chief of Emergency Management and Fire Patrick Lonergan.
“These resources remain in the state and are dedicated to initial and extended attack firefighting efforts,” he explained.
Unlike other contracted helicopters, the Chinook can store up to 2,500 gallons of water internally for aerial drops, instead of using a bucket-and-cable system.
“The primary goal of this program is to quickly douse fires with large amounts of water to prevent them from growing into major wildfires,” Lonergan added.
The funding for securing exclusive use of the Chinook became possible through House Bill 883, passed by state lawmakers in 2023. This bill allows unused funds from the state’s fire suppression fund to be carried forward for preparedness activities in future years, including helicopter usage, hand crew expansion, and forest management initiatives.
During the briefing, Lonergan and others emphasized the importance of keeping drones away from wildfire areas. Helicopters and airplanes cannot conduct drops or reconnaissance missions if drones are present due to safety concerns.
Marna Daley, spokesperson for Custer Gallatin National Forest, mentioned that flying drones near wildfires is illegal. In 2021, all aerial resources assigned to the Shedhorn Fire south of Big Sky were grounded for two days due to drone interference.
This article was originally published by Montana Free Press at montanafreepress.org. You can read the original story here.
Amanda Eggert studied print journalism at the University of Montana. Prior to becoming a full-time journalist, Amanda spent four years working with the Forest Service as a wildland firefighter. After leaving the Forest Service in 2014, Amanda worked for Outside magazine as an editorial fellow before joining Outlaw Partners’ staff to lead coverage for Explore Big Sky newspaper and contribute writing and editing to Explore Yellowstone and Mountain Outlaw magazines.
