'Normal' winter predicted

National Weather Meteologist Bruce Bauck in Missoula says the drought has eased up but not totally in the Mission Valley.

"Winter snows in the mountains will be an important caveat to obliterate the five-year drought completely and bring back the whole water system to normal," said Bauck. All this rain from the past three weeks, however, has really soaked up the forest floor and natural fuels, thus removing the fire seasons we've experienced the past few years."

Valley residents can expect a normal winter with 50 to 55 inches of snowfall in the Mission Valley this year.

"We may have a small El Nino this year," said Bauck. "But we don't really expect it to develop. If it does become bigger, or develops within the next few weeks then we can expect a warmer winter. From the looks of it, though, we are going to have a normal winter with snowfall hitting a bit harder in January and February, but nothing extraordinary."

For the past seven days the Mission Valley has received several inches of pouring rain, from Arlee to Polson and other communities in between.

Seasonal and mostly dry conditions are expected for the bulk of next week.