For anyone that enjoys Montana’s waters or taps it for their livelihoods, trends into the early summer are a cause for concern.

The fabled Smith River has seen numerous record daily flows, essentially cutting a month from the floating season. The Ruby River is already in its second fishing closure for the year due to low flows. And temperature spikes in the lower Madison, Jefferson and multiple other rivers is quickly becoming a daily accounting of the impacts from drought poised to shape this summer.

In this episode of Big Sky Lede, Lee State Bureau natural resources reporter Tom Kuglin and producer Thom Bridge talk about the concerning situation on the waters, what it means for recreation and irrigation, and whether forecasts call for any relief in sight.

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