BILLINGS — Record highs and spring-like temperatures are turning heads in Billings as unseasonably warm January weather allows residents to enjoy outdoor activities typically reserved for warmer months.
While many are taking advantage of the unusual conditions, weather experts say the warm spell is something to monitor as the season continues, particularly regarding its potential impact on rivers and streams.
Watch how the weather is turning heads in Billings:
At The Spoke Shop in Billings, it's business as usual despite the winter season. Operations Manager Sean Biggins says even during the off season in Montana, there's always something to do.
"If it's nice out, people are on their bikes," Biggins said Monday. "And if they're on their bicycles and they have issues, then they're probably going to bring them in."
The shop has maintained consistent business throughout the unusual winter weather.
"It's been pretty consistent," Biggins said. "So we do a lot of service work in the shop as well."
The sunshine is allowing people to enjoy the outdoors.
"The weather as we have it now, it gives people to get on their bike, to get out and run, to enjoy the outdoors," Biggins said.
Local cyclist Giles Schanck is among those taking advantage of the conditions. In what would typically be the dead of winter, he can still ride his bike daily.
"As long as the streets are clear and the weather is decently warm I'll ride it pretty much every day," Schanck said during a visit to The Spoke Shop.
"I just like getting the exercise and the fresh air and just the fact that it gives me the ability to go around quickly and do the things that I need to get done," Schanck said.
While some residents enjoy the outdoor opportunities, the warm weather raises concerns about future water resources and the fire season.
"What's it going to be like in the spring? Are we going to have enough snow in the mountains to be able to feed the streams and the creeks and avoid an early fire season?" Q2 meteorologist Ed McIntosh said.
McIntosh says the region is currently doing okay, but the mountain snow pack will become increasingly important.
"It's been warm and dry for the lower elevations, but the mountain snow pack will really start to matter here as we start getting into the snows, especially for February, March, April," McIntosh said. "That's when we get a lot of the heavier snow, and that will determine the runoff."
The snow pack will be crucial come spring, affecting everything from irrigation to recreational activities.
"That's going to determine whether streams or creeks and rivers are going to start to fill up, if there's going to be water for irrigation, even in hundreds of miles down the line, to be able to feed anything from drinking water to whether or not there's going to be a decent fishing season," McIntosh said.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Chrissy Webb says only time will tell how the current conditions will affect water levels.
"With a lot of our rivers and streams around the state, spring is when we see the snow melting in the mountains," Webb said. "And that's when we get high runoff, where the streams and rivers get really high water flows. That's all due to the snow melting high up in the mountains."
