A mass of snowfall in December has nearly caught north-central Montana up on precipitation for the calendar year, with more snow predicted today, but that has not been enough to overcome drought conditions in this region.

As of Tuesday, National Weather Service reported 25.3 inches of snow at its recording station at the Havre City-County Airport, more than a foot-and-a-half more than the normal value of 6.9 inches for Dec. 27. Snow has blanketed the region, and the state, this month, although north-central Montana evaded the massive storm that hit much of the country Christmas week, leadi...