October was a month of extremes in Powder River County, with temperature in Broadus shifting 92 degrees in the space of just over a week, between October 19th and the 27th. The 88 degree high on the 19th was the highest temperature recorded during the month, while the -4 degree low on the 27th was the lowest.
The extreme temperature shift was hard on man and beast, as people quickly changed from t-shirt and shorts weather to long johns and winter parkas. Yard hoses left full from watering lawns were in danger of cracking from the cold, and we heard of a run on winter garb from the local clothiers. Animals were not in much better shape, as the warm fall conditions prior to the cold snap had made for little reason to grow thick winter hair; stock was left shivering from the cold and hungry for food due to the snow which accompanied the storm.
The snowstorm which preceded the cold snap dumped 0.62” of moisture on Broadus and around 6” of snow. Broadus had 1.64” of total moisture in October, compared to an average of 1.12” for the month.
The Biddle 8 miles SW station was a relatively mild location in October, with a high of 79 and a low of -1 on the same dates as Broadus, making for an 80 degree shift in temps. That station had 6.0” of snow measured on the 26th, and 1.51” of moisture in total on the month, compared to an average of 1.35”.
The Moorhead 9 miles NE station topped out at 81 on October 10th (and hit 79 on the 19th), while bottoming out at -2 on the 27th. That station had 7.5” of snow on the 26th, and 1.42” of moisture on the month, compared to an average of 1.11”.
The Sonnette 7 miles SW station had a high for the month of 78 on the 20th, and a low of -7 on the 27th, for an 85 degree temperature swing. That station had 8.5” of snow recorded between the 26th and 27th, and had 2.00” of moisture in October, compared to an average of 1.38”. The station had an outstanding 19.57” of total precipitation measured from January 1 to October 31. The normal amount through those 10 months is 14.87”.
At Fort Howes on Otter Creek, the RAWS station measured a high for the month of 81 on the 19th, and a low of -7 on the 27th. That station recorded 0.3” in the snow storm. The wind was relatively calm at that station at 5.9 mph for the entirety of the month, and with only three days topping 30 mph. The highest gust was on the 17th, measuring 37 mph.
The Volborg station received 1.42” of precip in October. 0.68” of that total was recorded in the snow storm.
Finally, the Powderville 8 miles NNE station had a high of 79 on the 19th, and a low of -3 on the 27th. That station received 9” of snow in the storm, and had 1.43” of total precip in October, compared to an average of 1.16”.
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