Storm on the Mountain

A storm cell gets snagged in the hair of the Bitterroot's tall peaks and empties its load on the mountains; leaving the valley dry below.

The Bitterroot Mountains run in a north-south direction and all our weather/storms come from the west. When they bump up against the mountains, the rains or snows usually just dampen or bury the mountains in rain or snow. Several feet of snow will be in the mountains and we'll get very little (most of the time) in the valley...maybe 1/4 inch of rain or 2-3 inches of snow. This is why they call the Bitterroot Valley the Banana Belt of Montana.