Fine early spring weather has made for wonderful calving conditions, especially compared the bitter cold and snow of February and March in both 2018 and 2019. For a comparison, in 2019 the low temperature on March 3rd in Broadus was 36 below zero. On March 7th of this year, the high was 71, for a temperature swing of 107 degrees. What a difference a year makes.
The weather for February was fairly mild, especially compared to the last two years. The overall average temperatures for the month were right in line with long term averages – temperatures near normal with few extremes kept the averages around normal.
The average high for the month of February in Broadus was 41.1 degrees, compared to a "normal" high of 40.4. A 60 degree reading was recorded on February 1, while a 63 degree high topped out the month, on February 29th. Each day in February warmed to at least 27, making for a bye and large pleasant month.
The average low, at 17.7, was above the normal average low, at 14.6. The low for the month came on February 13, at -8. Only one other day in February did we record a low below zero, that reading of -1 occurring on the 19th.
Precipitation for the month in Broadus was .56", or .16" over the normal monthly precip of .40".
Areas close to the Bighorns received heavy doses of snow in February. Story, Wyoming, received 75.4" of snow. The heavy mountain snows bode well for run-off, a boon for irrigators.
Higher areas of the county received significantly more moisture during the month, and the icy roads to go along with it. Home Creek Pass had several instances where trucks had issues on the ice, while the high country in the Southeastern reaches of the county, as well as the southern tier of the county both received heavier snowfall, in February and throughout the winter.
With thawing occurring in late February and early March runoff has occurred on some major drainages such as Pumpkin Creek, though we've not received reports of any flooding significantly out of the ordinary.
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