Weather during the month of January in Powder River County was marked by tumultuous extreme temperature fluctuations, holding both record daily low temperatures and record highs.
The month began with temps generally around average for the first part of January, but a month cold shift sent temperatures plummeting.
Record daily lows were recorded on January 13th and 14th, with -33 and -38 respectively at the courthouse in Broadus. The previous records for those days were -29 on the 13th, and -36 on the 14th; both were recorded in 1979. The -38 record matches the lowest temp recorded in Broadus, with -38 recorded on two other January dates, in 1982 and 1949.
Broadus had three straight days where the thermometer did not top 0, between the 13th and 15th. Those three daily highs were also records, for the lowest high temperatures on those dates, and were more notable for the -15 high temperature on the 13th.
The all time record for lowest daily maximum temp was -20, taken two dates in December in 1964 and 1983.
Following the cold snap which saw temps around 48 degrees below normal for those dates, the temperature rapidly shifted. By the last week of January temperatures were over 20 degrees above average, topping out at 66 on January 30th.
Therefore, in the course of 16 days, Broadus saw a temperature shift of 104 degrees.
The three day period between January 28th and the 30th also marked a temperature record – this time for the highest daily max temperatures. The 61 degree temp on the 28th beat the old record of 58, from 1992 and 2015. The 60 on the 29th beat the previous record of 57, from 1992. The 66 degree high on the 30th upset the old record of 57, from 1989.
The record daily high for January is 70, recorded on January 27th of 2015.
The shifting temperatures resulted in an average high for the month of 35, only 1.8 degrees below normal, but an average low temperature of 5.2, or 6.5 degrees below normal.
Broadus received 0.20” of precipitation in January, but January is normally the driest month of the year, with a 0.43” average.
The Biddle 8 miles SW station had a low of -35 on the 13th, and a high of 65 on the 30th.
At the Moorhead 9 miles NE station, the low was -37, recorded the 14th, and the high for the month was 64, on the 30th.
At the Bradshaw Creek RAWS station near Moorhead, the temp hit -34 on the 13th, and 63 on the 30th. On the 13th the wind also hit 20 mph, and the mean humidity was 65 per cent, making for extra cold wind chills.
The Sonnette 7 miles SW station had a low of -40 on the 13th, and a high of 65 on the 30th, for a shift of 105 degrees.
No data was recorded for Volborg in January.
Fort Howes’ RAWS station hit -38 on the 13th and a high of 69 on the 30th, for a 107 degree shift in temps in 16 days.
The Powderville 8 miles NNE station had a low of -38, and highs of 65 on the 30th and 31st. That station caught some of the snow that went around to the north of Broadus on the 18th, with 4” of new snowfall.
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