Montana, 1996

Cold in Montana, February 1, 1996

February 1, 1996 · NWS GGW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Extremely cold temperatures in combination with gusty winds dropped wind chill readings to 104 degrees below zero in Opheim, 96 degrees below zero in Glasgow and 86 degrees below zero in Sidney.

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GGW wrote it up.

Extremely cold temperatures in combination with gusty winds dropped wind chill readings to 104 degrees below zero in Opheim, 96 degrees below zero in Glasgow and 86 degrees below zero in Sidney.

Event by event

1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Beaverhead

When
February 1, 2:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Beaverhead forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Cold/Wind Chill, Beaverhead1996-02-0231FemaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5582843.