What To Expect From This Summer's Weather In The Northwest

The latest long-range weather outlook suggests it's going to be a scorcher in the Northwest this year, but Montana should be on the edge of all that really hot weather through the summer.

The new, 90-day outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center shows temperatures for July, August, and September could be record-setting for Oregon and Washington, with a 60% to 70% percent chance of "above normal" temperatures. Most of Idaho, including the Panhandle, along with the western edge of Montana, has a 50% to 60% percent chance of hitting above normal temps.

But that's only along the edge of the state, generally west of the Divide. The outlook is that the areas immediately east of the Divide, through Central and Southwest Montana, will only have a less than 50% chance of being warmer than normal, and lower than a 40% chance for Eastern Montana.

Other parts of the country, outside the West, will have "equal" chances of temps above or even below normal.

Western Washington could see "below normal" precipitation, but Montana looks to have normal rainfall through the summer, or we might even tap into what's shaping up to bear a strong push of monsoonal moisture driven by the stronger El Niño current, with the projection for "above normal" rainfall across much of the Intermountain West, including the Great Basin and the Central Rockies.

man in blue and orange jacket and black helmet riding on black and white ski lift — Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

New climbing rules on the way

A new proposal from Washington could soon change how Montana climbers scale their favorite peaks on public lands.

The U.S. Forest Service has unveiled its first-ever national policy for managing recreational climbing across national forests and grasslands. The directive will establish uniform guidance for the use and maintenance of fixed anchors and equipment. This updated plan replaces a 2023 draft to align with the newly enacted EXPLORE Act, which explicitly recognizes recreational climbing and certain fixed anchors as appropriate uses in designated wilderness areas.

Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz noted that nearly thirty percent of all outdoor climbing happens on national forest lands, making a nationwide policy essential for local decision-makers to ensure safety and accessibility.

The agency has opened a thirty-day public comment period for climbers to weigh in on the proposal before it is finalized.