McCone County, Montana
Overview
McCone County is a sparsely populated eastern Montana county anchored by Circle in the Redwater River drainage north of the Yellowstone and east of the Missouri. Agriculture is split between large-scale dryland wheat and barley operations and cow-calf ranching on the surrounding benchlands. The Fort Peck Reservoir borders the county on the west, and the Missouri River near Wolf Point touches the county’s northern edge. Oil and gas production (Bakken / Cedar Creek Anticline peripherally) contributes non-agricultural income alongside the ranching and wheat economy.
Weather & Moisture
McCone County has no NRCS SNOTEL stations — this is classic eastern-plains country with no meaningful elevation. Water supply for agriculture comes from direct precipitation driving dryland wheat production, from the Redwater River (which drains the county east toward the Yellowstone), and from groundwater wells. The USGS gauge at Redwater River at Circle provides the in-county streamflow signal.
Summary of Current Conditions
Snowpack · SWE
No SNOTEL stations in this county. Basin-index snowpack not tracked.
Water-Year Precip
Water-year precip index not tracked for this county.
Drought Monitor
Streamflow
Soil Moisture
No Montana Mesonet soil-moisture station in this county.
Precip Anomaly
Live data block above refreshes daily. McCone County has no NRCS SNOTEL stations and no Montana Mesonet SWP stations, so those fields will read as “No Snowpack” and null respectively. Drought classification, streamflow, and precipitation anomaly are the primary signals.
Water Rights & Land Ownership
McCone County water rights are primarily stock-water rights on springs and intermittent creeks, Redwater River rights (small, non-irrigation uses), and groundwater wells. Fort Peck Reservoir on the western edge of the county is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system. Montana DNRC WRQS is the primary research tool.
Hay & Winter Feed
Native grass hay from dryland meadows and limited small-scale irrigated hay are the feed base for McCone County cow-calf operations. Most hay is locally consumed.
Cattle Production
Large-scale rangeland cow-calf operations on deeded ground combined with state and BLM grazing leases form the cattle side of McCone County agriculture. Fall-weaned calves typically move through Glendive-area (Dawson County) order buyers via MT Highway 200 / MT 24, or truck north to Wolf Point / Glasgow in Roosevelt and Valley counties.
County Logistics
Circle sits at the intersection of MT Highway 200 and MT Highway 13, approximately 50 miles northeast of Glendive (I-94 access) and 60 miles south of Wolf Point. No interstate access within the county. Trucking to Billings runs approximately 4.5 hours via MT-200 / I-94 / I-90.
Data Sources
- USDA NRCS National Water and Climate Center — no in-county SNOTEL (plains)
- USDA Drought Monitor — weekly county drought classification
- USGS Water Services — Redwater River at Circle (06177500) daily discharge
- Montana Mesonet (UMT) — no in-county SWP stations (soil moisture null)
- NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance — county precipitation anomaly (1/3/12 month)
- USDA NASS — county cattle inventory and agricultural census