Better late than never as rainfall hits drought-stricken Montana.
Precipitation fell in Montana this week with nearly three-quarters of the state in severe drought, bringing welcomed assistance to firefighting crews who’ve worked through a historically tough summer.
In northeastern Montana, where exceptional drought covers 25 percent of the state, the moisture isn’t enough to reverse crop losses this season.
But ag producers are happy to see Mother Nature join the fight against wildfires.
"We are thankful for any moisture we receive at this point, particularly for the fire danger relief," said Shelley Mills, Montana State University Extension Ag Agent for Valley County.
Historically normal precipitation for August in that area is more than an inch.
For most areas it started on Thursday.
By Friday morning, more than a quarter-inch of rain had fallen in much of the area.
About 0.6 inches was recorded north of Winnett and 0.7 inches near Terry, according to the Glasgow NWS office.
Many areas closer to the North Dakota border still marked less than a tenth of an inch on Friday morning, Burleson said.