Drought, much like farming, is a domino effect.
El Niño was predicted, but a drought to this extent wasn’t as clear in the cards. This summer, the Blackfoot River has experienced significant declines in water levels due to a mix of last winter’s minimal snowpack, recent dry conditions and high temperatures.
Kelsey Jencso, University of Montana professor of watershed hydrology and Montana state climatologist, reported that the Blackfoot River Valley is experiencing “record-setting low streamflow conditions” due to the ongoing drought.
Fly fishermen float down the Blackfoot River, in August 2020. The Blackfoot River Valley is now facing D-4 or “exceptional” drought, the highest level of severity.
BEN ALLAN SMITH, Missoulian
“I think people that are in agriculture understand drought. They understand fire danger, they understand weather conditions,” rancher Danny Iverson said. “I wonder sometimes if the general population really understands the devastation caused by drought. In America, we just never run out of food.”
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