While warm weather and minimal precipitation may prove to be a negative later in the year, the nice weather makes for superb calving conditions, as the baby calf above demonstrates on a lovely March day.
The weather in Southeastern Montana remained warm and dry during February, with temperature in Broadus averaging nearly 8 degrees warmer than average for the month, while precipitation lagged behind average, at nearly half the normal February moisture total.
Broadus topped out at 64 in February, on the 6th, and the temp fell as low as -1, on February 28th. That was the only day of below zero temps all month, though a low of 0 was recorded on the 17th.
Broadus received precipitation on three separate days – the 14th, 15th, and 27th, when 0.12" fell. The total for the month of 0.28" of precip is 0.24" behind the 0.52" average.
The Biddle 8 miles SW station topped out for the month at 63, on the Leap Day, February 29th. The low for the month was recorded just the day prior, with a -2 low on the 28th. The day prior to that, on the 27th, 3" of new snow fell.
The station had 5.5" of snow on the month, close to the average of 5.7", though the moisture total for the month was well below average, with 0.16" compared to a 0.51" average.
That station averaged 7.3 degrees above average for the month.
The Moorhead 9 miles NE station continued the trend of snow without much moisture, with 8.1" of snow measured, and 4" of that falling on Valentine's Day, the 14th. The normal for the month is 4.1".
The total precip for the month was 0.12", compared to an average of 0.39".
Their lowest temp for the month was 0, recorded the 27th and the high was 64, on the 29th. That station overaged 32.6 degrees for the month, or 6.3 degrees above normal.
The Sonnette 7 miles SW station had a low of -3 on February 3rd, and highs of 61 on the 4th and 5th. They had 4.1" of snow in total, compared to an average of 6.6". That snow fell on the 27th, and garnered 0.21" of the 0.22" total for the month. The normal is 0.70".
Precipitation at the Fort Howes RAWS station was a paltry 0.05" in February. The mercury there bottomed out at -4 on the 17th, and rose as high as 64, on the 24th.
That station had a maximum wind speed of 45, on the 26th, and had 14 days with at least 20 mph winds.
The temperature total there was an even 32 degrees, or 7.0 degrees above normal.
Volborg had 0.44" of precip in February.
The Powderville 8 miles NNE station had a low for the month of 0, on February 16th and the 28th, and a high of 64, on Leap Day. That station was 9.2 degrees above average for the month, with an average temp of 34.3 degrees.
They received 5.5" of snow, comparing favorably with a 5.8" average, but once again the snow contained little moisture, as the 0.20" total for the month lagged behind the 0.51" average.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Japan's Weather Bureau indicated an 80% chance of El Nino ending in the spring. The National Weather Service indicates a similar trend. El Nino refers to the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This trend leads to changes in wind patterns and ultimately tends to make Montana drier and warmer, which has certainly been the trend this winter. An end to El Nino conditions could mean a shift to more seasonable conditions, with the National Weather Service predicting that trend to shift by May, and a chance for La Nina conditions to take over in the summer.
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