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With temperatures in the 40s and the sun shining brightly day after day under the Big Sky, the question remains: where is winter?

Forecasts called for another harsh winter in the Northwest with below-average temperatures and above-average precipitation.

So far, it's been quite the opposite.

It leaves Montanans asking "why?"

Right now, Europe is getting in on the frigid cold that usually accompanies winter.

A deep trough developed in the past few weeks, which has allowed the cold air to funnel south.

More than 300 people have died so far due to the extreme cold in Europe.

In the U.S., it has been a very different story.

The jet stream has mostly stayed to the north, keeping major storm systems out of the country.

The ocean waters in the Pacific are cooler than normal, a phenomenon known as La Niña.

This typically allows for the jet stream to flow into the Treasure State from the northwest.

This flow can not only provide us with blasts of cold air, but it also sets up the state for frequent storm systems to move through.

Yet, most of central Montana has stayed relatively dry and mild in the past few months.

La Niña is just one factor that plays into the Northern Hemisphere weather patterns.

Several oscillations, or pressure differences in the atmosphere, can drastically affect our day to day weather here in Montana.

In the past few months, these oscillations have been running positive.

That means there isn't a lot of high pressure in the northern latitudes.

High pressure up north acts as a block, much like a giant rock placed into a river or stream.

The rock blocks the water and the water must flow around it.

When high pressure develops in northern Canada or over the Arctic, cold air is pushed around it, and sometimes results in cold spells here in the U.S.

At this time, there isn't a lot of confidence on the pattern shifting dramatically.

So, the mild weather is expected to continue for the next several weeks.

Most Montana Snotel sites are reporting near-average snowfall.

But, at the lower elevations, most cities are running behind on the winter snow.

This has many concerned with the fire season later this year.

However, there is still plenty of time to make up for the lack of precipitation this winter.

Stay with STORMTracker Weather for continuous updates on the long-range forecast.