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NOUS45 KTFX 051842
PNSTFX
MTZ008>015-044>055-151800-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1145 AM MST THU FEB 5 2019
...January 2019 and Water Year Seasonal Weather Summary for North
Central and Southwest Montana...
A slightly stronger than normal ridge of high pressure was over
western North America during January. This brought west-northwest
flow aloft and generally above normal temperatures to the area.
Precipitation amounts varied and winds averaged mostly below normal.
After a cold start, temperatures were near to above normal through
the 7th. This was also a windy period, with gusts to 103 mph at Deep
Creek and 94 mph at Two Medicine, their highest of record. After a
quick shot of cold air with some snow on the 8th, temperatures
rebounded to above normal through the 16th. A series of storms
brought heavy snow to most of the region from the 17th through 25th.
One to two feet of snow fell over this period over portions of
central and southwest Montana. A fast moving cold front produced
very strong winds across the area on the 27th. Gusts reached 75 mph
at Judith Peak and there were widespread gusts in the 60 mph range.
Temperatures cooled to near normal to end the month.
####Temperature
The coolest areas in January were in the southwest.
Red Rock recorded the coldest average temperature. They had an
average monthly temperature of 14.1F. The coldest temperature of the
month was -38F at West Yellowstone and Whiskey Creek on the 1st.
Bozeman MSU averaged normal for January, while Havre was 6.6F above
normal. The area's warmest average temperature was 30.8F at Great
Falls City.
On the 13th, Bynum recorded the warmest temperature of the month
(61F). Great Falls and Lewistown had their warmest January since
2006.
The water-year-to-date temperature averages are generally near
normal. The area's composite average temperature for this period
is 30.1F, the 55th warmest of record, and the warmest since 2016.
####Precipitation Precipitation amounts were variable. The heaviest
precipitation was over the southwest, with Black Bear SNOTEL
reporting 6.10-inches. West Yellowstone reported 1.95-inches. The
northern Rocky Mountain Front also had some of the heavier
precipitation. Cut Bank reported about 0.70-inches. In this area,
locations received up to three times their normal January
precipitation (which is generally less than 1 inch).
Although isolated locations have recorded above normal precipitation
for the water-year to-date (Bozeman MSU and Cut Bank), most areas
are below normal. Helena has had their driest water-year since 2005,
while West Yellowstone has had their driest since 2007.
Snowfall was generally near normal. The area's average January
snowfall was 12.8-inches, the 48th highest of record. East Glacier
measured 32 inches of snow. The highest depth for the month was 63
inches at Black Bear on the 21st. West Yellowstone had 32 inches on
the ground on the 24th.
For the water-year, Havre has had their lowest snowfall since 2012.
####Wind Wind speeds averaged lower than normal over most areas Of
airport locations, Cut Bank recorded the highest monthly average of
15.4 mph, The highest average at other locations was 22.5 mph at
Deep Creek RAWS /Glacier County/, while the highest average at lower
elevations was 18.0 mph at Browning. The highest wind gust for the
month was 103 mph at Deep Creek on the 3rd. The 94 mph gust at Two
Medicine was their strongest of record. Their old record gust was 91
mph last set on October 25, 2017.
The area's average wind speed for the water-year is 8.9 mph, the 23rd
calmest of record.
Average temperature...degrees Fahrenheit...
JAN NORM RANK OCT-JAN NORM
Bozeman......22.5..21.1... 29.4...28.3...
Bozeman MSU..25.1..25.4... 31.2...31.9...
Cut Bank.....26.0..22.1...19th warmest 31.1...29.4...
Dillon.......24.9..22.7... 29.7...29.4...
Great Falls..29 7..25.2... 34.2...32.2...
Havre........24.6..18.0... 31.7...27.9...
Helena.......24.9..23.1... 32.8...30.8...
Lewistown....27.7..23.6... 31.9...30.7...
W Yellowston.13.0..12.5... 20.4...19.9...
Area Avg.....24.2..21.0...50th warmest 30.1...28.5...55th warmest
Precipitation...Inches...
JAN NORM OCT-JAN NORM
Bozeman.......0.51..0.49... 2.76....2.89...
Bozeman MSU...1.29..0.83... 6.04....4.67...
Cut Bank.....E0.70..0.20...16th wettest 2.54....1.20...15th wettest
Dillon........0.06..0.26... 1.05....1.60...19th driest
Great Falls...0.98..0.51... 2.66....2.51...
Havre.........0.53..0.33... 1.50....1.74...
Helena........0.47..0.36... 1.38....1.93...
Lewistown.....0.52..0.57... 2.80....3.07...
W Yellowstone.1.95..1.96... 5.51....8.11...
Area Avg......0.78..0.62...60th wettest 2.92....3.01...47th wettest
Snowfall...Inches...
JAN NORM OCT-JAN NORM
Bozeman....... 8.2.. 4.0... 19.2....
Bozeman MSU...11.8..12.9... 56.8....44.6...20th highest
Cut Bank......11.9.. 6.7...13th highest 38.5....18.2... 8th highest
Dillon........ 3.0.. 5.0... 6.7....18.0... 7th lowest
Great Falls...15.1.. 8.5... 32.5....29.7...
Havre......... 6.8.. 6.8... 10.7....21.3...
Helena........ 8.5.. 6.2... 12.8....20.7...16th lowest
Lewistown.....17.0.. 8.3...20th highest 40.5....24.8...
W Yellowstone.27.9..30.8... 65.4....98.5...
Area Avg......12.8..11.1...48th highest 33.0....36.4...69th lowest
Average Wind speed...mph...
JAN NORM RANK OCT-JAN NORM RANK
Bozeman.......4.0....5.0...10th calmest 4.5.... 5.2... 5th calmest
Cut Bank.....14.9...14.4... 14.2....13.9...
Dillon....... 9.6...10.0... 8.9.... 9.3...15th calmest
Great Falls..13.9...14.5... 13.0....13.9...
Havre........11.8... 9.4...16th windiest 10.8.... 9.3...14th windiest
Helena....... 4.5....5.9...12th calmest 5.3.... 6.1... 7th calmest
Lewistown....10.3...10.4 .. 9.4....10.0...
W Yellowstone 4.7 4.9
Area Avg......9.2... 9.6...23rd calmest 8.9.... 9.2...11th calmest
Temperature and precipitation records for Bozeman began in
1935, Cut Bank began in 1903, Dillon began in 1939, Great Falls
began in 1891, Havre and Helena began in 1880, Lewistown began in
1896, and West Yellowstone began in 1905. Wind records at Bozeman
and Dillon began in 1948, Cut Bank and Lewistown in 1938, Great
Falls in 1939, Havre in 1889, Helena in 1880 and West Yellowstone in
2010. The normal period for all elements is 1981 to 2010.
These data are preliminary and have not undergone final QC by NCDC.
Therefore these data are subject to revision. Final and certified
climate data can be accessed at the National Climatic Data Center.
$$
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