The weather in Broadus was fairly normal for the month of August, and things wouldn’t look so bleak going into fall if not for the dry spring and early summer which created extreme drought conditions across Montana and much of the Northern Great Plains.
Broadus hit 103 on August 16th, a record high for that date. The coldest temp recorded in Broadus last month was 44, on August 29th. The average high for the month was 91.3, or 1.7 degrees above normal, while the nights tended to cool off nicely – the average low of 56.1 matched the average low for the month recorded since 1920. Four days in August hit triple digits, on the 8th, and the 16th through the 18th.
Precipitation for the month in Broadus was 0.97, or 0.31” below the normal of 1.28”. The bulk of that moisture fell on the 19th and 20th, where 0.44” and 0.27” were recorded on respective days.
Looking across other portions of our area, the Biddle 8 miles SW station hit 101 degrees on August 16th and 17th, and 100 on the 8th. The mercury fell to 42 on the 21st, as well as the 29th, for the monthly low. The station received 0.73” of moisture in August, compared to a normal of 1.14”. Most of that moisture occurred on the 19th and 20th, with 0.29”, and 0.20”.
The Moorhead 9 miles NE station saw temperatures close to the Biddle station, with high temps of 101 on the 16th and 17th, and a low of 42 on the 23rd. This station received a paltry 0.46” of precip in August, compared to a normal of 1.25”. The highest amount occurred on the 20th, with 0.25”, and only 0.09” on the 19th.
The Sonnette 7 miles SW station hit 100 on August 16th, the only day of triple digits recorded that month. The mercury fell as low as 37, on the 21st. That high country station had lows in the 40s on 12 nights in August, with another two in the 30s.
The Sonnette station received 0.53” of moisture in August, less than half of the normal 1.10”. The bulk of that moisture, 0.31”, fell on the 20th.
At the Fort Howes RAWS station, temps topped out at 103 on August 16th, and fell as low as 41, on August 29th. The station received 0.50” of moisture in August, with a high of 0.25” on the 20th.
The Volborg station received an impressive 2.45” of rainfall in August, as storms tended to sweep to the north around PR County. The station received 0.73” on August 21st, and 1.34” on August 26th.
The Powderville 8 miles NNE station saw the hottest temps recorded by a station in our area in August, with readings of 104 on both the 16th and 17th. The station had five days in August with triple digit temps, on the 2nd, 8th, and 16th through the 18th. The low for the month was 45, on the 29th.
The Powderville station won the precipitation lottery in August, with a total of 2.83” over the course of the month, compared to a normal of 1.23”, with the highest amount falling on August 26th, when the station received 1.59”.
Regions to the west and north received a large amount of precipitation in August, particularly from August 18th-21st. Billings received 2.44” of precip during the month, for the third wettest August on record, and Livingston had 2.91”, or 1.84” above normal, for their second wettest August on record. Miles City had 1.45” in August, or 0.54” above normal.
The National Weather Service outlook for September shows equal chances of above, below, or normal temps and precipitation for Eastern Montana. NOAA models for winter show a 70% chance of a La Niña winter. La Niña occurs when lower than normal ocean temperatures occur in the eastern equatorial region of the central Pacific Ocean. La Niña conditions generally bring cooler and wetter winter and early spring conditions to our area. The last La Niña which affected the area occurred in 2017-18, bringing brutally cold conditions during January and February, and high snowfall totals in February and March.
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