Montana, 2019Cold in Montana, February 14 to 15, 2019
February 14 to 15, 2019 · NWS GGW · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Amid a dominant and persistent arctic air mass and large low pressure trough, gusty east winds and cold night-time temperatures between storms resulted in wind chill values worse than 40 below zero for some locations.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Amid a dominant and persistent arctic air mass and large low pressure trough, gusty east winds and cold night-time temperatures between storms resulted in wind chill values worse than 40 below zero for some locations.
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 Feb 14, 9:17 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 14, 9:17 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
917 PM MST Thu Feb 14 2019
.DISCUSSION...
Late Evening Update...
WIND CHILL WARNING expanded to include southern Valley and
Richland Counties through 9 AM MST Friday morning.
Have lowered this evenings low temperatures significantly generally
from Glasgow north and east as the clear sky ahead of the next
storm system has allowed for temperatures to plummet this evening.
Glasgow has already dipped as low as -17 so far this evening with
wind chills as low as 41 below zero. Areas across far Northeast
Montana will stay clear the longest, which will allow temperatures
to reach the 25 to 30 degree F below zero range with wind chills
as cold as 50 below zero expected.
As clouds move in beginning in a couple hours, we will see
temperatures start to rise, but winds will also increase, which
means wind chills near 40 to 45 below zero will continue to be
possible across southern Valley and Richland Counties. Thus the
reason these areas have been included in the Wind Chill Warning.
Snow will move in from the southwest later tonight. Look for some
light snow showers to start in the next couple hours across
Petroleum County with a slow and steady northeast movement tonight
through Friday. The main accumulating snow is expected to reach
the Glasgow area by late morning and the Plentywood area by late
Friday afternoon. Anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of snow can be
expected across southern Phillips, Petroleum, and much of Garfield
Counties. Two inches or less is expected farther north and east.
With winds expected to increase tonight through tomorrow,
significant drifting and blowing snow is expected to cause issues
on area roadways across much of Northeast Montana.
-Mottice
Previous Discussion...
Significant system to bring drifting and some blowing snow,
dangerous wind chills and snowfall to the area tonight and Friday.
Clouds from the approaching system were moving northeast into
south-central Montana this afternoon with a precipitation band
just to the southwest. High pressure over the area will move east
allowing east winds to increase. With temperatures falling, wind
chills are expected to reach 40 to 45 below over the northeast
zones, resulting in a Wind Chill Warning (Frostbite can occur in
10 minutes). The east winds will be more of an impact over the
central zones, especially in South-central Valley county, late
tonight and Friday, where drifting snow will easily interrupt
travel across the area. In the southwest zones, then snow will
bring the greatest accumulation in Petroleum County with about 5
inches by tomorrow afternoon.
As this band moves out Friday night, the upper low will move in
from the Pacific Northwest and bring snow to mainly the southeast
zones this weekend. This low looks to spin up off the Colorado
front range then move into the Dakotas, a track that can give the
area more snow than expected. 3 to 5 of snow are possible right
now in the SE zones.
General weak troughiness will remain over the area next week as a
broad upper ridge remains tough over Florida. The ECMWF brings
another reinforced Arctic airmass in here about Thursday, while
the GFS is weaker. TFJ
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR tonight with MVFR/IFR conditions Friday.
Clear skies this evening then increasing clouds from the SW late
tonight. Heavy drifting snow is expected at KGGW then snow moves
in at all airports Friday.
Extreme Cold: Lows tonight will be -15F to -25F.
Winds: East winds will increase tonight with sustained speeds of
20 kts at KGGW Friday morning, 10-15 kts at KSDY, KOLF and KGDV.
TFJ
&&
.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM MST Friday for Central and
Southeast Phillips...Garfield...Petroleum...Southwest Phillips.
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM MST Friday for Central and
Southern Valley...Dawson...McCone...Northern Phillips...
Prairie...Richland...Wibaux.
Wind Chill Warning until 9 AM MST Friday for Central and
Southern Valley...Daniels...Eastern Roosevelt...Northern
Valley...Richland...Sheridan...Western Roosevelt.
&&
weather.gov/glasgow
Cold/Wind Chill, Western Roosevelt
- When
- February 14, 10:18 PM MST to February 15, 10:18 AM MST
- Where
- Western Roosevelt forecast zone
- Reported by
- RAWS
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
With temperatures in the -20s and -30s, and wind speeds of 9 to 18 mph, wind chill readings in the -40s and -50s were common across most of Western Roosevelt County from the night of the 14th through the morning of the 15th. The coldest wind chill reading was -54 degrees at the Poplar RAWS site and was recorded at 5:18 AM.
Cold/Wind Chill, Richland
- When
- February 15, 5:02 AM MST to 10:04 AM MST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
As temperatures hovered in the -10s and as low as -20, and wind speeds persisted from 12 to 19 mph, wind chill values in the -40s were measured at the Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT site during the early morning hours on the 15th. The coldest wind chill reading of -44 degrees was recorded as 7:03 AM.
- 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.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Arizona, February 14 to 16, 2019$1.0 million · 10 events
- Flash Flooding in California, February 14, 2019$52,000 · 3 events
- Strong Wind in Mississippi, February 14, 2019$25,000 · 1 event
- Winter Weather in South Dakota, February 14 to 15, 201919 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, February 14 to 15, 20199 events
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in Nevada, February 14 to 15, 2019$3,000 · 54 kt wind · 6 events
- High Wind in Texas, February 14 to 16, 201976 kt wind · 5 events
- Heavy Snow in Washington, February 14 to 15, 20195 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 14 to 15, 20195 events
- Winter Weather in Wyoming, February 14 to 15, 20195 events
- Heavy Snow in Washington, February 14, 20194 events
- Dense Fog in Colorado, February 14 to 15, 20194 events
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: 810306, 810312.