Area Experiences Record Breaking Cold
According to the National Weather Service in Glasgow, snow is expected to return to the region by midweek as temps rise following a record breaking cold snap. Snow showers will be heaviest south of U.S. Highway 2 and travel conditions will be worst south of Highway 200 and along Highway 191 on Wednesday.
NWSG meteorologist Angel Enriquez told the Northern Plains Independent that bitterly cold conditions began last Wednesday. “We haven’t warmed up above zero since Jan. 10,” he said.
On Sunday, Jan. 14, Saco set an all time low record air temp of -51 and Glasgow set a new daily record low of -35 on Jan. 13, with the previous record of -33 dating back to 1916. Sports games and other school events were canceled or postponed across the area and emergency services have been on high alert. At press time, frigid temperatures and northwest winds are expected to continue through late Tuesday morning.
Culbertson saw windchill of -64 and an air temperature of -36 at Big Sky Field on Jan. 13, with similar temps east to the state line and marginally warmer temps south of the river. Jan. 13 saw windchills of -63 in Wolf Point and -70 near Scobey. The coldest windchill report came in from Larslan with -72 on Jan. 13.
Enriquez said the snow event coming up will be our best chance for precipitation during the next few weeks. Accumulations of 2-4 inches are expected in Glasgow through Thursday. Snowfall will be lighter moving east along U.S. Highway 2, with Culbertson expecting about an inch or less as you get closer to North Dakota. “It really just grazes us along the border,” Enriquez said.
Moving into the week, Thursday should see a 50 percent chance of snow in the morning and a high near -3 in Glasgow. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch is possible with lows around -16 in the evening. Friday is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 2 degrees and a low around -7. Saturday will be partly sunny with a high near 24 and a low around 13.
The warming trend will continue Sunday moving into Monday with highs in the 30s.
Overall, temps will be slightly above normal over the next two weeks with highs expected in the upper 30s and low 40s. Visit forecast.weather.gov for detailed information from the National Weather Service in Glasgow.
