Drought in Montana, February 1 to 28, 2005

Name: Drought in Montana, February 1 to 28, 2005
Start: 2005-02-01T00:01
End: 2005-02-28T23:59
Location: Montana

February 1 to 28, 2005 · NWS GGW · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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.

February was a particularly dry month across all of northeast Montana, with most areas receiving less than 10 percent of normal precipitation. Overall, northeast Montana received only 3 percent of normal precipitation. There were numerous locations that received no precipitation or only trace amounts the entire month. It was the driest February on record across the state of Montana. Long term drought conditions remained the worst in Petroleum, southern Phillips, and western Garfield counties.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 8:30 PM MST, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 8:30 PM MST, 3 hours 31 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
830 PM MON JAN 31 2005

.SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
MINOR UPDATE TO ZONES...NO UPDATE TO STATE FORECAST TONIGHT. WAVE
TRACKING ACROSS THE STATE PUSHING MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS INTO
WESTERN ZONES CURRENTLY. SHOULD SEE THIS DECK MOVE ACROSS THE ENTIRE
AREA OVERNIGHT...AND INHERITED FORECAST HANDLES THIS WELL. ONLY
CHANGES WILL BE TO BETTER REFLECT CURRENT SATELLITE TRENDS. SOME
SHOWER ACTIVITY NOTED OVER WESTERN MONTANA...BUT SHOULD SEE ENOUGH
DOWNSLOPE TO KEEP NORTHEAST MONTANA DRY. INCREASING CLOUDS AND WEST
WINDS DEVELOPING AS WAVE PASSES SHOULD LIMIT POTENTIAL FOR FOG...AND
WILL NOT MENTION IN FORECAST. HAVE ALSO MADE A FEW TWEAKS TO WIND TO
BETTER REFLECT CURRENT CONDITIONS. OTHERWISE FORECAST ON TRACK...
UPDATES OUT SHORTLY. JJZ

...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
PRETTY QUIET AND WARM FORECAST FOR THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUES TO FLATTEN AS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES MOVE
THROUGH FAST WESTERLY FLOW OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND BRITISH
COLUMBIA. MODELS WERE SIMILAR WITH OVERALL UPCOMING PATTERN SO NOT
FAVORING ONE MODEL OVER ANOTHER FOR THE FORECAST TODAY.

TONIGHT...A SHORTWAVE SCOOTS THROUGH THE UPPER FLOW AND THROUGH THE
FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. DYNAMICS NOT LOOKING VERY FAVORABLE FOR
PRECIPITATION...AND WITH WESTERLY MOVEMENT AND DOWNSLOPING...THINK
PRECIPITATION FROM WAVE IS NOT VERY LIKELY TONIGHT. WILL BOOST UP
CLOUD COVER AND KEEP SOME WINDS GOING TONIGHT...BUT NO MENTION OF
PRECIPITATION. MAY SEE SOME VIRGA...BUT CHANCES OF ANYTHING HITTING
THE GROUND IS RATHER LOW. WILL HOWEVER PASS ALONG TO INCOMING SHIFT
TO WATCH DEVELOPMENT ONCE IT GETS OVER THE ROCKIES. WITH CLOUDS AND
WINDS OVERNIGHT...WENT ON THE WARMER SIDE OF THINGS FOR THE FORECAST
WITH READINGS IN THE 20S FOR THE AREA.

FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD...FAST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT
CONTINUES BETWEEN STRONG POLAR LOW AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FOLDING
OVER RETROGRADING LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST STATES. NICE DOWNSLOPE
REGIME TO BRING WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. FORECAST ALREADY
LOOKS GOOD WITH WARMING TREND...WEDNESDAY AS THE WARMEST DAY IN THE
SHORT TERM. RECORD HIGH FOR GLASGOW IS 55 ON WEDNESDAY...PRETTY
CLOSE TO THE 52 DEGREES ALREADY IN THE FORECAST. WILL ALSO SEE WINDS
INCREASE EACH DAY...WINDIEST ON WEDNESDAY. SOME MODEL DIFFERENCES
WITH HOW WINDY IT WILL GET...SO WILL PLAY IT MIDDLE OF THE ROAD
UNTIL THE PERIOD NEARS. OVERALL...FORECAST IN GOOD SHAPE AND NOT
MANY CHANGES NEEDED TODAY. JAZ

.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...
ONLY ONE MINOR CHANGE WAS MADE TO GOING FORECAST. WINDS COULD BE A
BIT HIGHER THURSDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ZONES.  NOT
ALL MODELS WERE AGREEMENT WITH THIS...WITH THE 12Z AND THE 00Z GFS
RUNS SHOWING 850 MB WINDS INCREASING TO 50KTS BY 00Z FRIDAY. THE
ECMWF WAS ONLY SHOWING 30KTS AT 850 MB. THERMAL RIDGE MOVES INTO THE
CWA THURSDAY WITH WARM ADVECTION HELPING TO HOLD WINDS DOWN OVER THE
EASTERN ZONES. INCREASED WIND SPEEDS ACCORDINGLY OVER THE SW ZONES.
WILL RE-ISSUE SPSGGW WITH AN UPDATE TO THE HWOGGW THIS AFTERNOON.
JAMBA

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
MODELS HAVE DIVERGED IN THEIR SOLUTION FOR WEEKEND SYSTEM WITH GFS
CONTINUING TO BE MORE PROGRESSIVE SOLUTION. HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES
TO WEEKEND BASED ON OVERALL TREND OF MODELS...BUT OVERALL FORECAST
IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. DRY AND WARM PATTERN STILL ON TRACK FOR
THURSDAY AS FLAT UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. HAVE
UPPED HIGHS A FEW MORE DEGREES BASED ON LAST WEEKS TEMPERATURES.
WILL KEEP SOUTHWEST BELOW 70 DEGREES BUT NOT OUT OF THE REALM OF
POSSIBILITY AT WINNETT. CURRENT FORECAST OF 51 DEGREES FOR GLASGOW
EQUALS CURRENT RECORD SO AS PERIOD APPROACHES WILL NEED TO KEEP AN
EYE ON THIS. FOR FRIDAY LAST FEW RUNS OF GFS HAVE BEEN SLAMMING COLD
FRONT ACROSS THE AREA WITH FALLING TEMPERATURES SCENARIO. LATEST
ECMWF HAS SLOWED DOWN PROGRESSION OF FRONT...AND IS SUGGESTING THAT
HIGHS WILL BE AS WARM FRIDAY AS CURRENT FORECAST FOR THURSDAY.
PREFER ECMWF SOLUTION WHICH IS ALSO BEING FAVORED BY HPC. WILL LEAVE
CURRENT FORECAST IN THE 40S AND 50S AND SEE IF MODELS CAN COME TO
SOME KIND OF CONSENSUS BEFORE MAKING MAJOR CHANGES EITHER WAY.

ARCTIC FRONT WILL IMPACT THE AREA BY SATURDAY AS STRONG LOBE
ROTATING AROUND POLAR LOW DRIVES BOUNDARY SOUTH. PATTERN SUPPORTING
OVERRUNNING PRECIP ACROSS THE AREA AS WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT PULLS
MOISTURE FROM PACIFIC UP AND OVER ARCTIC BOUNDARY. POTENTIAL FOR
ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL STILL EXISTS ACROSS THE REGION...AND WILL BE
DEPENDENT ON WHERE BOUNDARY SETS UP. WILL EXPAND POPS ON SATURDAY TO
INCLUDE ENTIRE AREA...AND GO WITH CHANCE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH
SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD RETURN TO NORMAL LEVELS FOR THIS TIME
OF YEAR...WITH TEENS LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA BY SUNDAY AND POTENTIAL
FOR SUBZERO LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT. HAVE DROPPED SATURDAY HIGHS TO BETTER
MATCH TREND OF ECMWF...BUT OTHERWISE INHERITED FORECAST HAS GOOD
HANDLE ON THINGS. BULK OF COLD AIR THEN EXPECTED TO SHIFT TOWARD THE
GREAT LAKES REGION...SO EXPECT SLOW WARMUP INTO MONDAY. PREVIOUS
SHIFT ISSUED SPS TO HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL CHANGES THIS WEEKEND...AND
WILL REFRESH WORDING. JJZ

&&

.KGGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 31, 12:52 PM MST, 11 hours 9 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
1252 PM MST MON JAN 31 2005

MTZ016>027-059>062-011300-
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY-DANIELS-
DAWSON-EASTERN ROOSEVELT-GARFIELD-MCCONE-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-
NORTHERN VALLEY-PETROLEUM-PRAIRIE-RICHLAND-SHERIDAN-
SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-WIBAUX-
1252 PM MST MON JAN 31 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

COLDER WEATHER WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW IS EXPECTED LATE THIS
WEEK. SEE GTFSPSGGW OR WWUS85 KGGW FOR DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

TFJ

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Central and Se Phillips

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Central and Southern Valley

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Daniels

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Dawson

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Eastern Roosevelt

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Garfield

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Little Rocky Mountains

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McCone

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: McCone forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Phillips

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northern Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Valley

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northern Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Petroleum

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Petroleum forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Prairie

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Prairie forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Richland

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sheridan

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Western Roosevelt

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wibaux

When: February 1, 12:01 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Wibaux forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 2005

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5437415, 5437416, 5437417, 5437918, 5437919, 5437920, 5437921, 5437922, 5437923, 5437924, 5438016, 5438017, 5438018, 5438019, 5438020, 5438021.