Farmer’s Almanac Winter Forecast for Montana May Make You Smile

The first frost dates have already come and gone for some places in Montana. For other parts of Montana, the first frost forecast dates will be coming up in the next few weeks as the weather changes.

When it comes to long-range forecasts in Montana, the only certainty is that there is no certainty. Forecasts, are simply predictions about what we can expect. Weather patterns in Montana rely a lot on what happens with the temperatures and weather patterns originating in the ocean.

Read More: Want To Know if Montana Will Be Cold? Only Trust the Ocean

Before the official winter forecast from the Old Farmer's Almanac was released there was some speculation on what we could expect for the winter. There was discussion about Montana possibly seeing a brutally cold winter. The Old Farmer's Almanac has released their long range forecast and it doesn't look as "brutal" as was initially forecasted.

This actually may be one of the best case scenarios for a winter forecast for Montana. For those that like snow we may see a fair amount and for those that don't like the bitter cold, the forecast is calling for more mild temperatures.

Montana is separated into two regions, the central and eastern parts of the state are in the High Plains region, and Western Montana and the mountains are in the Intermountain Region.

High Plains forecast is calling for:

Winter temps will be warmer in the northern parts of the region... Snowfall will be near to above normal, with the snowiest periods in mid-November, mid- and late January, and late February.

The Intermountain Region forecast is calling for:

Winter won't be especially frigid, with temperatures above normal... Precipitation and snowfall will be average or above average throughout the Intermountain Region. The snowiest will fall mid-November, early and late January, and mid-March.

This, to me, seems almost like a perfect forecast. There is snow in the forecast for all the people that recreate in the winter without the brutal cold. The cold last year hurt both the huckleberry and Flathead cherry harvests this year. We won't know how accurate this forecast is until it actually happens, but for now, this gives me something to look forward to this winter.