Drought in Montana, March 1 to 31, 2023

Name: Drought in Montana, March 1 to 31, 2023
Start: 2023-03-01T00:00
End: 2023-03-31T23:59
Location: Montana

March 1 to 31, 2023 · NWS GGW · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Despite a relatively wet and snowy winter, areas of drought continue to persist in northeast Montana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 9

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.

Despite a relatively wet and snowy winter, areas of drought continue to persist 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 28, 8:24 PM MST, 3 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 8:24 PM MST, 3 hours 36 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
824 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023

.DISCUSSION...
Current Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 5 am, but
lighter snow is expected for the remainder of the night.

Band of moderate to heavy snow northeast of Glasgow now
diminishing as dynamics are weakening across the area. Snow was
quite intense in southern Valley county resulting in several
slide-offs on Highway 2 with a quarter mile visibility or less in
heavy snow here at the Glasgow airport for almost 3 hours. Winds
made it very difficult to accurately measure how much fell, but
drifts to 3 feet were observed on the NWS grounds.

Snow will gradually diminish tonight. Additional light snow
moving in from north-central Montana is light and shouldn/t amount
to more than an inch.

Winds will also gradually diminish tonight but arctic airmass will
be in place allowing temps to only rise to teens and 20s
Wednesday. TFJ

Previous Discussion...
A band of snow continues to lift northeast across portions of the
CWA this afternoon. The combination of snow, heavy at times, and
blowing snow, as been enough to drive visibility down to 1/4 mile
at times. These conditions should improve this evening as snow
diminishes in intensity and pushes northeast, but reduced
visibility from blowing snow will continue at times tonight.

Look for colder temperatures for the midweek with drier
conditions. Then, upper ridging on Thursday will bring
temperatures back to near normal across the region.

The next shortwave looks to approach for the end of the week which
may come with light snow. High pressure will maintain a dry
weekend across the area though the next system will bring
increasing chances for snow, especially across the southwest, by
Sunday night or Monday.

&&

.AVIATION...
Flight category: MVFR/IFR

Light snow will gradualy end tonight but low ceilings will linger
into Wed.

Winds: E-NE winds will continue diminishing into Wed morning. TFJ

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM MST Wednesday for Central and
Southern Valley...Daniels...Dawson...Eastern Roosevelt...
McCone...Northern Valley...Richland...Western Roosevelt...
Wibaux.

&&

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

9 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Daniels

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions in the southwestern three quarters of Daniels County was in (D2-Severe) conditions while the northern and eastern borders of the county were in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the third week of March, the northern and northeastern third of Daniels County improved to (D0-Abnormally Dry) conditions, the middle third and southwestern portions of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, with about 20 percent of the county in the southcentral area remaining in (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Western Roosevelt

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, all of Western Roosevelt County was in (D2-Severe) conditions. On the third week of March, the far northwest corner of Western Roosevelt County improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the rest remained in (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

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 March, ongoing drought conditions in the northern three quarters of Central and Southern Valley County were in (D2-Severe) conditions while the southwestern quarter was in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the third week of March, the northern quarter of Central and Southern Valley County improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the central half of the county remained in (D2-Severe) conditions and the southwestern quarter remained in (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Eastern Roosevelt

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions in all of Eastern Roosevelt County was in (D2-Severe) conditions. By the third week of March, all but western edge of Eastern Roosevelt County had improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the western edge remained in (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Richland

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions in the northern three quarters of Richland County were in (D2-Severe) conditions while the southern quarter of Richland County was in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the third week of March, the northern third of Richland County with the exception of the far northwestern corner improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the far northwestern corner and the central third of the county remained in (D2-Severe) conditions and the southern quarter of the county remained in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the last week of March, all but the far northwestern corner of Richland County improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the far northwestern corner of the county remained in (D2-Severe) conditions.

Drought, McCone

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions in the northern three quarters of McCone County were in (D2-Severe) conditions, while the remaining quarter in the south was in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the third week of March, a small portion of the eastern edge of McCone County bordering Richland County improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the remaining northern three quarters of the county remained in (D2-Severe) conditions, and the southern quarter remained in (D1-Moderate) drought. At the end of March more of eastern McCone County bordering Richland County improved to (D1-Moderate) drought while the remaining remaining northern three quarters remained in (D2-Severe) conditions and the southern quarter remained in (D1-Moderate) drought.

Drought, Garfield

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions in the northern tip of Garfield County was in (D2-Severe) conditions while the remainder of the county was in (D1-Moderate) drought. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Central and Se Phillips

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions in the northwestern corner of the county was in (D3-Extreme) drought, while the northeastern corner and the central part of the county were in (D2-Severe) conditions and the southern third of the county was in (D1-Moderate) drought. On the third week of March, all but the northeast corner of the county improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the northeast corner remained in (D2-Severe) conditions. These conditions would remain the same through the end of the month.

Drought, Little Rocky Mountains

When: March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 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 March, ongoing drought conditions at the immediate northern border of the Little Rockies against Blaine County and the eastern half of the Little Rockies were in (D2-Severe) conditions while the remainder of the western half remained in (D3-Extreme) drought. On the third week of March, the immediate northern border of the Little Rockies against Blaine County and the eastern half of the Little Rockies improved to (D1-Moderate) drought, while the remainder of the western half improved to (D2-Severe) conditions. 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, March 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: 1080023, 1080030, 1080432, 1080439, 1080518, 1080519, 1081291, 1081347, 1081481.