Cold in Montana, February 26 to 27, 2019

Name: Cold in Montana, February 26 to 27, 2019
Start: 2019-02-26T23:20
End: 2019-02-27T06:58
Location: Montana

February 26 to 27, 2019 · NWS GGW · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The very cold and persistent arctic air mass over the region combined with winds from the west to bring wind chill values of 40 below zero and lower to many locations in northeast Montana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 4

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.

The very cold and persistent arctic air mass over the region combined with winds from the west to bring wind chill values of 40 below zero and lower to many locations in northeast Montana.

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 26, 10:41 PM MST, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 10:41 PM MST, 39 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
1041 PM MST Tue Feb 26 2019

.DISCUSSION...
No changes needed to forecast grids tonight. Forecast is on track
with ongoing weather situation. A very cold airmass have moved
across the region. Therefore, wind chill warnings are in effect as
the combination of extremely low temperatures and winds of 10 to
15 mph will produce wind chills in the 35 to 50 below zero range.

FGC

Previous discussion:

Update: Very cold conditions in store for overnight into
Wednesday morning with -20 t0 -30 below zero overnight lows mainly
along and north of Highway 2. Combine with the NW winds 8 to 15
mph wind chill reads could range from 35 to 50 below zero
overnight into Wednesday morning. South of Highway 2, overnight
low temperatures are forecast to range from -15 to -20 below zero
south of Highway 2, with wind chill readings from -20 to -40 below
zero. Wind Chill Warnings and Advisories will be in effect
tonight and Wednesday morning.

&&

.AVIATION...
Periods of MVFR/IFR conditions with low ceilings and reduced
visibility could be expected mainly at KOLF under HZ. VFR
conditions elsewhere. West winds between 10 to 15 kts expected.
Very cold conds tonight into Wednesday morning with overnight lows
from -15 to -25 below zero.

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Chill Advisory until 10 AM MST Wednesday for Garfield...
Petroleum...Prairie...Southwest Phillips...Wibaux.

Wind Chill Warning until 10 AM MST Wednesday for Central and
Southeast Phillips...Central and Southern Valley...Daniels...
Dawson...Eastern Roosevelt...McCone...Northern Phillips...
Northern Valley...Richland...Sheridan...Western Roosevelt.

&&

weather.gov/glasgow

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Roosevelt

When: February 26, 11:20 PM MST to February 27, 6:23 AM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the McDonalds MT-13 DOT site, with temperatures in the -10s and wind speeds of 17 to 26 mph, wind chill values dropped into the -40s for about 1 1/2 hours in the morning of the 27th. Similarly colder wind chills also occurred earlier, for less than one hour during the midnight hour. The coldest wind chill reading of -43 was recorded from 12:01 to 12:11 AM.

Cold/Wind Chill, Richland

When: February 27, 1:38 AM MST to 3:50 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)

With temperatures in the -10s and winds speeds of 16 to 31 mph, wind chill values in the -40s persisted during the early morning hours on the 27th at the Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT site. The coldest wind chill reading of -42 degrees was recorded at 3:40 AM.

Cold/Wind Chill, Central and Se Phillips

When: February 27, 2:35 AM MST to 5:15 AM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

With temperatures in the -10s and -20s and wind speeds of 9 to 15 mph, wind chill values dropped into the -40s in the early morning on the 27th at the Malta airport ASOS site. The coldest wind chill reading of -46 degrees was recorded both at 2:35 AM and 4:35 AM.

Cold/Wind Chill, Sheridan

When: February 27, 4:58 AM MST to 6:58 AM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

With temperatures in the -10s and wind speeds from 18 to 25 mph, wind chill values dropped into the -40s for about 2 to 3 hours during the early morning on the 27th at the Medicine Lake RAWS site. The coldest wind chill reading of -43 degrees was recorded at 4:58 AM.

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

Every storm in Montana in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 2019

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: 810653, 810655, 810657, 810651.