Montana, 2021

Drought in Montana, March 1 to 31, 2021

March 1 to 31, 2021 · NWS GGW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

As the dry weather pattern continued across the region, the lack of any decent precipitation brought severe drought conditions further west into new portions of northeast Montana through the month of March.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
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.

As the dry weather pattern continued across the region, the lack of any decent precipitation brought severe drought conditions further west into new portions of northeast Montana through the month of March.

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 28, 7:53 PM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 7:53 PM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
753 PM MST Sun Feb 28 2021

.DISCUSSION...
Evening update...
Going forecast was is good shape, with dry conditions across the
region.

After a sizable rebound in temperatures today, a continuing of the
warming trend will continue into the work week ahead, as well as
the dry weather.

97

Previous discussion...
Little shortwave is riding down the east side of the building
Pacific Ridge this afternoon. Main consequence is some breezy
conditions which will calm down by tonight and some clouds
overnight with an outside chance of a flurry or light snow shower
over our far northeastern zones.

Pacific ridge parks over our area the majority of the week.
However a trough in far northern Canada will keep the ridge from
amplifying to its true potential keeping things aloft in a zonal
flow. Regardless this flattened ridge will keep things dry and
temperatures about 10-15 degrees above normal.

By the end of the week that Canadian trough has departed and the
ridge will be able to amplify more and push our temperatures even
warmer. Quite a spread in the models but temperatures could range
anywhere from the mid 50s north to mid 60s south. Will have to
keep watching to see how things trend but the bottom line is
temperatures well above normal this upcoming weekend.

RMB

&&

.AVIATION...
FLIGHT CONDITIONS: VFR.

WINDS: light and variable tonight and Monday morning, becoming SW
10-20 kts with higher gusts Monday afternoon. SW-W 5-15 kts Monday
evening through Tuesday morning.

SYNOPSIS: Quiet flying weather will continue for at least the next
couple of days as upper level ridging will be the dominant
feature.

97

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

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

1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Central and Southern Valley

When
March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start the month of March drought conditions (D2-Severe) began only in the far southeastern corner of Central and Southern Valley County (the Frazer area). By the second week of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) drastically expanded westward to spread across all but the southwestern corner of Central and Southern Valley County, which persisted there through the end of the month.

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2021

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: 948377.