And if it did, we’d never see it coming. In photography there is what is known as the 18% gray card. It’s a card you can carry around with you to hold up in the light you are shooting in and take an exposure reading off of with your on board camera meter. No need to bother around here, just point your camera skyward and you got it.
Ok, I’m exaggerating, but just a little. Cloudy, warmish and almost zero, zilch, nada precipitation for over a week. Considering the scenario we aren’t in to bad of shape yet. A good storm or two could put push us back into the 90 percentile and then we can hope for a cool spring or seasonal rain (that would be a stretch). I’m optimistically hoping not to be breathing smokey air while the fish gasp for oxygen in the water below for the last half of summer.
MONTANA SNOTEL Year-to-Date Precipitation Update Graph
As of FRIDAY: FEBRUARY 12 , 2010
| Basin | Year-to-Date Precipitation Percent of Average |
| KOOTENAI RIVER BASIN |  78% |
| FLATHEAD RIVER BASIN | 81% |
| UPPER CLARK FORK RIVER BASIN | 70% |
| BITTERROOT RIVER BASIN |  59% |
| LOWER CLARK FORK RIVER BASIN | 65% |
| JEFFERSON RIVER BASIN | 76% |
| MADISON RIVER BASIN | 74% |
| GALLATIN RIVER BASIN | 80% |
| MISSOURI HEADWATERS | 76% |
| HEADWATERS MISSOURI MAINSTEM | 82% |
| SMITH, JUDITH, AND MUSSELSHELL RIVER BASINS |  96% |
| SUN, TETON AND MARIAS RIVER BASINS | 71% |
| MISSOURI MAINSTEM RIVER BASIN | 84% |
| ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS | 82% |
| UPPER YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN | 73% |
| WIND RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 64% |
| SHOSHONE RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 68% |
| BIGHORN RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 68% |
| TONGUE RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 81% |
| POWDER RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 69% |
| LOWER YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN | 69% |
| Legend: | <70% |
70-90% |
91-110% |
 111-130% |
 >130% |
