Folks in Southeastern Montana found themselves making full use of their air conditioners this August, with daytime temperatures soaring into triple digits; highs were hotter than any other days of the year to date.
The most brutally hot days were also during the Powder River County Fair, testing the endurance of humans and animals alike. But people and animals in this part of the country are indeed tough, and they persevered through those hot, hot days.
Night time temps were mostly in the 50s with a couple of 40s thrown in, so residents could open their windows to allow the cool air to flow in, lasting through all but a handful of days.
The fair is perhaps the most wonderful of the many volunteer efforts, and when the Extension Office and Fairboard put out the word, businesses and individuals made every effort to keep their kids and animals alike safe. But it was still mighty toasty. When the weather is at its worst, people here are at their best.
There was also some really nice and welcome rain, to settle the dust and bring a bit of green back into the summer-worn pastures, and paving the way for a prolific early fall grazing season. But even the rain did not settle the smoke, which seems to be the new late summer norm in the western states and Canadian provinces. Multiple days during August, the Montana DEQ Air Quality monitoring station in Broadus recorded conditions of “Unhealthy” or “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”. The consequences of unhealthy conditions are increased aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in people with cardiopulmonary disease, and older adults, with increased respiratory effects in the general population.
There were only four days of triple digit temps as recorded at the Broadus National Weather Station at the Powder River County Sheriff’s department, but back-to-back days of 106 were, as stated, the hottest of the year. There were also only three days that the thermometers read between 95 and 99 degrees. The hottest of the days, 100, 106, 106 and 104 occurred during the fair. August began with 93, 100, 97, 94 and 94 the first five days, but the nights were cool indeed, ranging from 50 to 66. The warmest night was 72 degrees on the 12th, but by the night of the Thirteenth temps were back to 56.
The medium high for the month was 88.6, and the norm low was a cool 53.9. The daytime highs were a bit above the norm of 87.9, but cooler at night with a medium low of 55.4.
The Broadus weather station tallied 1.04 inch of rain, but with shifting patterns, much more was received a few miles away. That is also the norm for this area. Ranchers a few miles away had more than one and one-quarter inches in a four-day stretch.
The Biddle Station at Mader’s unfortunately had quite a bit less moisture, .59 of an inch, with highs and lows about the same as at Broadus.
Over on the Mizpah, there was some nice moisture, at just under an inch at .90”. They experienced some really chilly night time temps, 39 on the 29th and 43 on the 30th day of the month, the coldest of any of the area’s reporting stations except for a tie at Moorhead.
Up the river at the Moorhead Station at Bowers, .90” of rain fell. They also had a low of 39 on the 30th.
The high country at Sonnette hogged the most moisture, 1.46 inch, as ranchers from there north report one of the finest haying season in their memories. But then mighty fine, ranch saving hay has been reported across the county, as folks wadded up as much hay as they possibly could.
Powderville’s 8NNE station, on the other side of the county, reported a very nice 1.23” of rain, as folks there too glory in a fine summer of thick hay and tall grass.
As we go into the late summer and early fall, hopes are that the rain will continue.
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