Drought in Montana, February 1 to 28, 2023

Name: Drought in Montana, February 1 to 28, 2023
Start: 2023-02-01T00:00
End: 2023-02-28T23:59
Location: Montana

February 1 to 28, 2023 · NWS GGW · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Drought conditions continue to persist through the month of February for northeast Montana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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: 14

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.

Drought conditions continue to persist through the month of February for 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 Jan 31, 9:24 PM MST, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 9:24 PM MST, 2 hours 36 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
924 PM MST Tue Jan 31 2023

.DISCUSSION...
Evening Update:
Forecast elements remain on track in the near term so minimal
changes were made at this time. Radar continues to show
reflectivity across NE Montana largely associated with midlevel
cloud and virga, though an isolated flurry or snow shower cannot
be entirely ruled out tonight.

Previous Discussion:

Lingering clouds on satellite imagery and light returns on radar
imagery indicate the off chance for virga snow showers or flurries
across southern Saskatchewan gliding over the far NE zones of
Montana this afternoon and evening. Otherwise, the forecast is
rather benign.

The departing colder air will allow warmer air from the SW to move
over our region through tomorrow. Dangerously cold wind chills
will not be a factor tonight.

Wednesday, near normal temperatures in the north and above normal
temperatures in the south can be expected under a building ridge
of high pressure.

Wednesday night into Thursday, a quick-passing cold front will
drop the temperatures back down to below zero in the north.
Another round of Wind Chill Advisories may be needed.

Friday and beyond, the full strength of the warm upper-level ridge
will be realized from the south as daily high temperatures climb
above freezing.

Chances for any precipitation will be few and far between,
probably isolated to early next week, resulting in only trace
amounts.

----BMickelson

&&

.AVIATION...

PATTERN: Colder air mass is slowly moving away (toward the NE)
from our region, allowing warmer temperatures to slowly make a
come back.

FLIGHT CONDITIONS: VFR will prevail with some SCT to BKN mid
clouds expected.

WINDS: From the W and NW around 10 kts, becoming calm overnight.

----BMickelson

&&

.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

14 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Daniels

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the southwestern three quarters of Daniels County were in (D3-Extreme) drought while the northern and eastern borders of the county were in (D2-Severe) drought. On the second week of February the southwestern three quarters of Daniels County improved to (D2-Severe) drought while the northern and eastern borders of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Western Roosevelt

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in all but the eastern edge of Western Roosevelt County was in (D3-Extreme) drought, while the eastern edge was in (D2-Severe) conditions. By the second week of February, all of Western Roosevelt County had improved to (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Northern Valley

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northern Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the southern three quarters of Northern Valley County were in (D3-Extreme) drought, while the northern quarter of the county along the Canadian border was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February the southern three quarters of Northern Valley County improved to (D2-Severe) conditions while the northern quarter of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. |These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Central and Southern Valley

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 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 February, ongoing drought conditions in the northern three quarters of Central and Southern Valley County were at (D3-Extreme) drought, while the southwestern quarter was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February the northern three quarters of Central and Southern Valley County improved to (D2-Severe) conditions while the southwestern quarter improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Northern Phillips

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northern Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the southern two thirds of Northern Phillips County were in (D3-Extreme) drought, while the northern third of the county was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February the northeastern quarter of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, the northwestern corner and the southeastern quarter of the county improved to (D2-Severe) conditions, while the southwestern corner remained in (D3-Extreme) drought. At the end of the month the northwestern half of the Northern Phillips County improved to (D1-Moderate drought) while the southeastern half of the county improved to (D2-Severe) conditions.

Drought, Eastern Roosevelt

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in all of Eastern Roosevelt County was in (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Richland

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in all but the far northwestern corner of Richland County was in (D2-Severe) conditions, while the far northwestern corner of the county remained in (D3-Extreme) drought. On the second week of February the northern three quarters of Richland County improved to (D2-Severe) conditions while the southern quarter of Richland County improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, McCone

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: McCone forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the northern quarter of McCone County was in (D3-Extreme) drought with the far southern border of McCone County in (D1-Moderate) drought, and the area in between was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February the northern three quarters of McCone County improved to (D2-Severe) conditions, while the remaining quarter in the south improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Garfield

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the northern tip of Garfield County was in (D3-Extreme) drought, the remainder of the northern third of Garfield County was in (D2-Severe) conditions while the southern two thirds were in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the second week of February the northern tip of Garfield County improved to (D2-Severe) conditions while the remainder of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Central and Se Phillips

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the northern half of Central and Southeast Phillips County was at (D3-Extreme) drought, while the southern half of the county was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February the northwestern corner of the county remained in (D3-Extreme) drought, while the northeastern corner and the central part of the county improved to (D2-Severe) conditions, the southern third of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. |These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Petroleum

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Petroleum forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the northwestern corner of Petroleum County was in (D2-Severe) conditions while the southern three quarters of Petroleum County were in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the second week of February, the far northwestern corner of Petroleum County remained in (D2-Severe) conditions while the far northeastern corner improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, and the rest of the county remained at (D1-Moderate) drought. At the end of February, the southwestern corner of Petroleum County improved to (D0-Abnormally Dry) conditions, the far northwestern corner remained in (D2-Severe) conditions, and the remainder of the county remained in (D1-Moderate) drought.

Drought, Little Rocky Mountains

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the western two thirds of the Little Rocky Mountains were in (D3-Extreme) drought, while the eastern third of the Little Rocky Mountains was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February, the immediate northern border of the Little Rockies against Blaine County improved to (D2-Severe) conditions while the remainder of the western half remained in (D3-Extreme) drought, and the eastern half remained in (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Dawson

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the southern half of Dawson County was in (D1-Moderate) drought, while the northern half was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the second week of February the far northern portion of Dawson County remained in (D2-Severe) conditions while the remainder of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Sheridan

When: February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

To start February, ongoing drought conditions in the southwestern quarter of Sheridan County was in (D2-Severe) conditions while the northeastern three quarters of the county were in (D1-Moderate) drought. By the second week of February only the far southwestern corner remained in (D2-Severe) conditions while the remainder of the county had improved to (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same 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

Every storm in Montana in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 2023

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: 1075207, 1075213, 1075694, 1075695, 1075698, 1075706, 1075711, 1075915, 1075916, 1075918, 1075919, 1075920, 1075922, 1075923.