The local weather during the month of January was cold and dry – fairly normal for the month of January in Southeastern Montana. Several incidences of snow occurred across the region over the course of the month, with warmer temps later in the month to melt the majority of the snow, other than in shadier portions of the high country.
Broadus received 0.18” of precipitation in January, down from the normal 0.43”.
The high temp for the month was 56, recorded on January 17th, and each day of the month managed to climb above zero, with four degree highs recorded on Jan 1 and Jan 6. 26 days had highs above freezing, while eight days had lows below zero. The coldest temperature of the month was recorded on Jan 1, with a low of -23.
Interestingly enough, though the average high temperature for January was 40.4, or nearly four degrees above the long term monthly average, the low temperature was 11.4, directly in line with the long term low. Thus the average temperature for the entire month of 25.9 was only 1.8 degrees above normal – January was basically normal for the area.
The Biddle 8 miles SW station had no records for January, while the Moorhead 8 miles NE station indicated snow depths of 2” through the first two weeks of the month, much of which had carried over from December. The station recorded 1.8” of snowfall during January, which melted during the warm temps from mid-month on. The station received a total of 0.16” of moisture overall in January; this compares to a norm of 0.30”.
The high temp for the month at the Moorhead station was 55 on the 17th, while a low of -27 was measured on January 6th.
At the Sonnette 7 miles SW station new snow of 1.7” was recorded on January 5th to add to previous amounts, and a measurement of 4” of snow on the ground was indicated on January 7th. By the 13th the snow had all melted at that station.
The Sonnette station had a total of 4.7” of snow over the course of the month, compared to an average of 3.9”. Total moisture for the month was 0.35”, lagging behind the average of 0.50”.
The high for the month was 54, on January 12th, while the low was a chilly -29, on January 6th. This station had eight days of below zero temps in January, and one day, January 5th, where the mercury never climbed above -5.
The Fort Howes RAWS station located on Otter Creek had a total of 0.13” of precip in January, with a high of only 46, on January 23rd. The low for the month of -24 occurred on January 6th, with the previous day’s high on the 5th never climbing above -7.
The Fort Howes station records wind data, and the station witnessed a high wind gust of 52 mph, on January 31st. The calmest day of the month, on the 10th, saw gusts to 10 mph. The average overall wind speed for the month was 7.4 mph.
The Volborg station, which only records precipitation, had 0.15” of moisture in January.
Snow depths of 5” of leftover snow from December were recorded for the first two days of January at the Powderville 8 miles NNE station, with that number steadily tapering off through the month, before a new shot of snow landed on the 24th and 25th of 1.5”. Total precipitation in January was 0.21”, compared to a normal 0.43”.
The high for January at the station was 51 on Jan 12th, with a low of -24 on New Year’s Day.
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