...2018 WEATHER IN REVIEW...
The following is a weather review for the Billings forecast area,
which includes southeast Montana, parts of south central Montana and
Sheridan County Wyoming.
2018 was an overall chilly year with average temperatures ranging
from one to three degrees below normal. This was due primarily to
the cool weather from February through April. Precipitation was
above normal across the region, 2 to 6 inches above normal at our
official climate stations, due in large part to a wet spring. In
fact, Miles City`s annual total of 18.41 inches ranked as the 9th
wettest on record.
The winter and early spring of 2018 will be remembered for its
abundant snowfall and widespread snow cover. Billings set a seasonal
snowfall record with 106.1 inches of snow. A coop observer southwest
of Roundup reported a whopping 126 inches. Snow depths reached 2 to
3 feet over the Bull Mountains and in some areas east of Billings.
Due to the prolonged period of snow cover, Miles City actually went
54 consecutive days with below normal temperatures from mid February
to early April!
Spring was wet with above normal precipitation across the region.
The first severe storm of the season produced golf ball size hail
near Volborg on April 29th. The severe season was active, as the
Billings Forecast Office issued 176 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings,
and two Tornado Warnings. Perhaps the most memorable events of the
severe season were the very large hail that caused extensive damage
in Roundup on May 31st, and the large EF-2 tornado that moved
through east central Carter County on June 28th. The summer wildfire
season was somewhat active but we avoided any large wildfires,
unlike most of the western United States where numerous large
wildfires occurred. Air quality was poor at times due to the smoke
from these western fires.
The first lower elevation snow of the season occurred at the end of
September, as Billings saw its first September snow since 2000.
Despite the early start, snowfall was below average through the fall
months.
As usual, several new records were established across the area
during the course of the year. The following is a list of daily
records either tied or broken at our four main climate sites.
Records go back to 1934 at Billings, 1937 at Miles City, 1907 at
Sheridan and 1948 at Livingston.
...BILLINGS...
Record High Temps: 102 on August 11
Record Low Temps: -15 on February 20
6 on April 3
10 on April 6
11 on April 7
18 on October 14
Record Precipitation: 0.25 inches on January 10
0.30 inches on March 4
0.27 inches on April 5
1.54 inches on May 23
1.13 inches on May 28
0.72 inches on August 18
Record Snowfall: 4.6 inches on January 10
6.3 inches on February 4
2.9 inches on February 5
2.5 inches on February 14
3.5 inches on February 15
5.4 inches on February 18
7.4 inches on April 2
5.2 inches on April 5
1.8 inches on October 13
...MILES CITY...
Record High Temps: 105 on August 12
Record Low Temps: -30 on January 1
-24 on January 2
-18 on February 21
-22 on February 22
-19 on February 23
6 on April 3
9 on April 6
19 on October 10
20 on October 14
Record Precipitation: 0.34 inches on March 16
1.04 inches on April 12
0.49 inches on August 27
0.54 inches on September 20
0.55 inches on November 2
0.33 inches on December 1
...LIVINGSTON...
Record High Temps: 54 on January 18
54 on January 29
98 on August 10
103 on August 11
Record Low Temps: -14 on January 1
-14 on February 20
4 on March 31
-1 on April 1
2 on April 3
1 on April 7
34 on July 4
43 on August 6
Record Precipitation: 0.47 inches on January 19
0.11 inches on January 30
0.91 inches on June 17
0.36 inches on June 23
0.43 inches on August 5
0.56 inches on August 27
0.43 inches on November 6
0.25 inches on November 24
...SHERIDAN...
Record High Temps: 104 on August 11
104 on August 12
Record Low Temps: -22 on February 20
12 on October 15
Record Precipitation: 1.44 inches on May 28
The following is a chronological list of significant or noteworthy
weather events that occurred across the region in 2018.
January 1: A very cold start to the New Year! Miles City`s low of -
30 and high of only -15 were records for the date. Mizpah dropped to
-41. Billings had 16 inches of snow depth (a record for the date).
January 10: Snow fell across the region, with widespread
accumulations of 2-5 inches. Higher amounts included: Roundup 12.7W
13.4 inches, Rapelje 10.5 inches, Klein 10 inches, Hysham 8W 9
inches, Melstone 8 inches, Ryegate 8 inches, Springdale 6 inches.
January 12: Much of the region received 1-3 inches of snowfall, but
a heavier band produced 6-8 inches in the Big Timber area. Mountains
received heavy snow, with up to 20 inches around Cooke City.
January 14-15: A weather system produced 1-3 inches of snowfall
across much of the region. Red Lodge picked up 6 inches.
February 3-5: Widespread significant snowfall, heaviest in central
portions of the forecast area. Amounts included: Busby 24 inches,
Roundup area 12-24 inches, Ashland 17 inches, Broadus area 10-16
inches, Ryegate and Forsyth 13 inches, Hysham area 10-15 inches,
Judith Gap 11 inches, Billings area 9-12 inches, Columbus 10 inches.
February 8: Freezing rain was widespread and caused many travel
difficulties. Highway 3 from Harlowton to Garneill was closed. In
the Billings area, a six-car pile up involving four separate crashes
caused an eastbound portion of I-90 near the King Avenue exit to
shut down for more than two hours. In Miles City, 0.13 inches of
precipitation fell as freezing rain, producing a glaze of ice on
cars, while surface temperatures were mostly in the teens.
February 8-9: Freezing rain was followed by another dose of heavy
snowfall. Amounts included: Forsyth 15 inches, Powderville 14
inches, Ekalaka and Hardin 12 inches, Hysham 11 inches, Mizpah and
Rapelje 10 inches, Sheridan area 8-12 inches, Billings area 8 to 12
inches, Baker 8 inches. Heavy snow fell in the mountains, with Cooke
City picking up 30 inches.
February 13-14: Strong winds occurred along the foothills. Peak
gusts included: Livingston 73 mph and Big Timber 63 mph.
February 16-19: More widespread snowfall and cold temperatures.
Amounts included: Mystic Lake 21 inches, Rapelje 15 inches, Melville
12 inches, Red Lodge and Sheridan 11 inches, Ridgeway 9 inches, Fort
Smith 8 inches, Broadus area 6-8 inches, Ismay 8 inches, Roundup 8
inches, Twodot 6 inches, Forsyth 5 inches, Billings area 4-6 inches.
Mountains received more heavy snowfall, with two feet at Cooke City
and higher amounts in the nearby mountains.
February 3-19: This was a remarkable snowy period of weather. The
weather pattern was locked into a favorable position to bring us
Pacific moisture and Canadian cold air. Billings` total snowfall
over this 17-day period was a whopping 32.4 inches. The entire
region was 10-18 degrees colder than normal. Snow depth from Roundup
to Billings eastward ranged from 1-2 feet by mid February, with
local depths to 30+ inches in the Bull Mountains and near Ashland.
February 21-23: Miles City set or tied record lows for three
straight days: -18 on the 21st, -22 on the 22nd, and -19 on the 23rd.
March 3-4: Significant snowfall fell across the west. Amounts
included: Rapelje 13.5 inches, Red Lodge area 9-13 inches, Columbus
10 inches, Ryegate and Big Timber 9 inches, Park City 8 inches,
Judith Gap 7.5 inches, Billings area 5-10 inches, Livingston 5
inches.
March 5: Snow and blowing snow, with wind gusts over 40 mph and
visibility near zero in spots, affected Fallon and Carter Counties.
Numerous state highways and other roads were closed from Baker to
Ekalaka and Alzada. During the night of the 4th, widespread fog with
some freezing drizzle caused roads to become icy across parts of SE
Montana, before the snow and blowing snow.
March 16-17: Accumulating snowfall occurred across eastern areas,
including 10 inches near Biddle and Sonnette, 8 inches near Ismay, 7
inches near Broadus, 6 inches at Lame Deer, 5.5 inches at Colstrip,
5 inches at Alzada, 5 inches near Miles City, and 4.5 inches at
Forsyth.
March 17-26: Ice jams caused areas of low land flooding along the
Musselshell River in Musselshell County.
March 19: A small area of heavy snow (8-10 inches) impacted
locations east of Ekalaka, near Mill Iron.
March 30-31: Several inches of snow fell on western/central parts,
greatest along the foothills. Amounts included: Dayton 12 inches,
Livingston 10 inches, Sheridan and Story 9 inches, Absarokee 6
inches, Columbus 5 inches, Big Timber 3 inches.
April 1-3: Significant snowfall occurred across much of the region.
17.5 inches fell at Rapelje and near Lame Deer. Other amounts
included: Mystic Lake 19 inches, McLeod 12 inches, Story/Fort Smith/
Ryegate 11 inches, Joliet/Roundup/Clyde Park/Columbus 10 inches,
Colstrip/Sheridan 8 inches, Billings area 6-9 inches. Livingston set
a record low with -1 on the 1st, only the third time on record that
the temp has fallen below zero in April. Billings` snowfall of 7.4
inches on the 2nd was a daily record.
April 5-6: More late season snowfall. Amounts included: Burgess Jct
18 inches, Story/Rapelje/Harlowton 12 inches, Columbus 8 inches,
Bull Mountains 6-8 inches, Fort Smith 7.9 inches, Joliet 6.7 inches,
McLeod 6.5 inches, Pryor and Springdale 6 inches, Ryegate and
Sheridan 5 inches, Billings area 3-5 inches. Billings` snowfall of
5.2 inches at the airport on the 5th was a daily record. On the 6th,
record cold high temps were set or tied at Billings (18), Livingston
(18), Miles City ((25) and Sheridan (25).
April 7: During the evening, rain/snow showers produced strong
winds (possible microburst) that downed several power poles in the
Paradise Valley near Emigrant.
April 12-13: Yet another snow event, lighter this time, with
heaviest amounts in the northwest-north. The Bull Mountains picked
up 6-10 inches, and 10 inches fell a little east of Melstone. Other
amounts included: Judith Gap 8 inches, Plevna and Broadview 4
inches, Ekalaka and Miles City 3 inches, Red Lodge area 2-4 inches.
April 23-24: Rain and snow impacted much of the region. Rain
amounts ranged from about a half inch to just over an inch. The Bull
Mountains picked up another 6-10 inches of snow, and 4-7 inches fell
in the Red Lodge area. The higher hills near Lame Deer and Broadus
saw as much as 5-10 inches. Other snow amounts included: McLeod 10
inches, Powderville 6 inches, Baker and Gardiner 5 inches, Columbus
and Story 4 inches, Billings area 1-3 inches. On the 23rd, 2.6
inches of snow was measured at the Billings airport, pushing the
total for the season to a new record high, 106.1 inches.
April 29: The first severe thunderstorm of the spring produced golf
ball size (1.75 inch) hail near Volborg. Quarter size hail (1 inch)
fell at Ashland.
May 8: A thunderstorm in Miles City caused some wind damage. A
downed tree damaged a camper.
May 9: Another early season severe thunderstorm produced quarter
size hail from Nye to Fishtail.
May 10-13: Significant rain fell in Sweet Grass and Wheatland
counties. Big Timber picked up about 2 1/2 inches of rain, with
between 1 1/2 and 2 inches near Harlowton and Twodot. Many other
locations received between a half inch and inch over this period. It
was cold enough for some snow along the foothills on the 12th.
Mystic Lake picked up 4 inches of snow, and Red Lodge about an inch.
May 18-19: More rain fell, greatest in Stillwater and Yellowstone
to Wheatland Counties. Over 2 inches of rain fell at Twodot and near
Molt, with just under 2 inches at Rapelje. The Billings area
received between 1 and 1 1/2 inches.
May 22-23: Heavy rain fell in Carbon, Sweet Grass, Stillwater and
Yellowstone Counties. Reed Point picked up a whopping 4.10 inches of
rain, with over 3 inches near Columbus and Joliet, and over 2 inches
at Red Lodge. The Billings airport received 1.54 inches of rain on
the 23rd, a daily record. On the evening of the 22nd, torrential
rain produced 2.40 inches near Columbus in only 75 minutes. During
the night of the 22nd, there was flash flooding near Edgar as a
culvert overflowed along US-310 (water was 10 inches deep on the
highway). On the 23rd, a funnel cloud was spotted near Billings, and
quarter size hail was reported near Billings, Colstrip and Ridgeway.
A spotter 17 miles south of Miles City reported 2-inch diameter hail.
May 27-29: More heavy rain due to thunderstorms. An area of 3-4
inches of rain was observed from near Busby, Lame Deer and Lodge
Grass southward to Sheridan and Ranchester. This caused flooding on
the east side of the Bighorn Mountains. The Tongue River and Five
Mile Creek flooded at Ranchester. Goose Creek also rose above flood
stage at Sheridan. Over the next few days, there was some flooding
downriver on the Little Bighorn River near Crow Agency and on the
Tongue River near Birney and Ashland. Billings (1.13 inches) and
Sheridan (1.44 inches) each set daily precipitation records on the
28th. Street flooding occurred in parts of Billings in the early
afternoon on the 28th. Also on the 28th, water crossed Highway 313
about 10 miles south of Hardin.
May 31: Several severe thunderstorms impacted the region. The most
severe storm produced golf ball to tennis ball (2.50 inch) hail in
Roundup, where many homes, trees and vehicles were damaged. Flash
flooding also occurred in Roundup as nearby very heavy rain (over 3
inches at Horse Thief Raws) caused the Musselshell River to climb
rapidly above flood stage that night and on the early morning of
June 1st. Highway 12 was closed for a time due to floodwaters. The
same storm produced quarter size hail near Shawmut and north of
Ryegate before it intensified near Roundup. Later, golf ball size
hail fell near Melstone. Elsewhere, quarter size hail was reported
near Clyde Park, Busby, Hardin and Forsyth.
June 1: More thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall and some
severe weather. A severe storm produced quarter size hail from near
Hardin through Forsyth to Angela. Hail accumulated 2 inches deep on
parts of Highway 59 near Angela. In Billings, an early morning
thunderstorm produced very heavy rain for about an hour, causing
street flooding around the city. A NWS employee reported 0.83 inches
of rain.
June 4: A severe thunderstorm produced quarter to golf ball size
hail near Roundup and Melstone.
June 7: More severe thunderstorms. In Rosebud, 65 mph wind gusts
and damage (downed cottonwood tree, damage to road signs). In
Forsyth, multiple large trees were downed or broken, resulting in
closed roads and power outages. Near Shirley, very heavy rain and
large hail (2.50 inch) impacted travel on I-94. Some vehicles were
trapped and water damaged fences. Hail accumulated on I-94. Wind
gusts in excess of 70 mph were reported near Otter and Willard. A
few other reports: 1 inch hail near Red Lodge and St. Xavier, golf
ball size hail north of Hardin, 1 inch hail at Custer, half dollar
size hail near Hysham, 65 mph wind gust near Crow Agency. Also, a
brief EF-0 tornado (path width 100 yards and length 1/2 mile) lasted
for less than 5 minutes between Busby and Lame Deer. The tornado
tossed a 20 foot diameter grain bin 250 yards, and there was some
tree damage.
June 9: A severe thunderstorm produced 1.5 inch hail just west of
Broadus.
June 15-24: A period of very wet weather. Billings, Miles City and
Baker each received over 3 inches of rain during these 10 days.
Roundup had 3.77 inches, Broadus 3.60 inches. The wet weather caused
more flooding on portions of the Musselshell River. Billings had 9
consecutive days with measurable rain from the 15th through the 23rd.
June 15: A severe thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near
Dayton and Ranchester.
June 16: A severe thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near
Joliet, and roof damage due to wind was reported near Boyd.
June 18: Heavy rain: over 3 1/2 inches near Melville, 2.10 inches
in 3 hours near Columbus, 2.02 inches at Hysham. A funnel cloud was
spotted southeast of Bridger on the MT/WY line.
June 19: Quarter size hail covered I-94 in the Hysham Hills,
causing difficult travel conditions. A funnel cloud was spotted near
Lodge Grass.
June 21: Quarter size hail was reported a few miles south of
Roundup, and along Highway 3 near Acton. Two inches of rain fell in
the Bull Mountains.
June 24: A funnel cloud was spotted near Plevna.
June 28: During the evening, a severe thunderstorm moved across
Carter County producing golf ball size hail, 70-80 mph straight line
wind gusts, and a EF-2 tornado (touching down 4 times) as it moved
toward the SD border. The tornado moved through rural areas causing
tree damage. The tornado was strongest as it moved south of Capitol,
causing a swath of snapped trees and minor structural damage. The
tornado strengthened to EF-3 when it moved into SD. Elsewhere, there
were many severe thunderstorms: a 68 mph peak wind gust at Baker,
golf ball to tennis ball size hail at Miles City (where there was
also flash flooding), golf ball size hail near Volborg, tennis ball
size hail near Broadus, quarter size hail at Big Timber, 65 mph wind
gust near Willard.
July 2: During the evening, severe thunderstorms produced large
hail and strong winds to parts of the region. Wind reports included:
64 mph gust at Baker, 61 mph gust at Hysham Hills, 60 mph gust at
Forsyth, snapped tree limbs near Hardin. Hail reports included: golf
ball size hail at Myers, ping pong ball size hail at Plevna, Forsyth
and near Miles City, and quarter size hail at Hardin, Busby and
Absarokee.
July 3: A severe thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size (1.50
inch) hail just southeast of Laurel. Later in the evening, another
storm produced 65 mph wind gusts at Ismay, and 69 mph near Baker. A
70 mph wind gust and tree damage was reported near Webster.
July 7: A severe thunderstorm produced quarter to half dollar size
hail at Biddle and west of Alzada.
July 17: Thunderstorms produced areas of very heavy rain and strong
winds in southeast MT. West of Alzada along the WY border, an
estimated 4-5 inches of rain caused flooding on Thompson and Deadman
Creeks, and stock ponds overflowed. Near Ridge, heavy rain caused a
private reservoir to overflow into nearby creeks. At Hammond, an
outbuilding was blown over and there was tree damage from strong
winds.
July 21: A severe thunderstorm produced quarter to half dollar size
hail near Hammond and Ridge. A thunderstorm wind gust of 68 mph was
measured at Molt.
July 26: A severe thunderstorm produced large hail and damaging
winds from near Reed Point and Columbus south through Bridger and
into WY. Reports included: up to golf ball size hail and tree/window
damage near Reed Point, Boyd and Bridger, fallen trees and power
lines in Clearmont.
July 27: Another day of severe weather: 2 inch hail near Columbus,
1.5 inch hail near Reed Point, 1 inch hail at Alzada, quarter size
hail and shredded trees near Dayton, quarter size hail and downed
cottonwood trees at Big Horn, a 69 mph peak wind gust at the
Sheridan airport. In Billings, a severe thunderstorm in the late
afternoon produced quarter to golf ball size hail, strong winds and
localized flash flooding. Hail caused some vehicle damage. A peak
wind gust of 67 mph was measured west of Billings. Street flooding
was widespread across the west end. The Billings NWS measured 1.11
inches of rain in about a half hour.
July 28: For the third straight day, severe weather impacted Reed
Point (half dollar size hail).
August 2: A "heat burst" occurred at Billings during the early
morning, a result of winds emerging from decaying shower activity
(mixing a very warm air mass). At just before 5 am, after being in
the low 70s, Billings reported 92 degrees with an RH of 11 percent
and wind gusts to 40 mph. A wind gust of 56 mph was reported at the
DOT station at the Yellowstone River bridge, and tree damage was
reported in the Heights. Also, a grass fire started just northwest
of the city (near Shorey Road), burning about 320 acres. Later in
the day, a severe thunderstorm produced 58-61 mph wind gusts near
Fishtail and Columbus.
August 3: A severe thunderstorm produced estimated 60 mph wind
gusts near Fort Smith, causing some branch and small tree damage. A
71 mph gust was reported 10 miles west of Molt. Other wind reports:
Lodge Grass 9E 67 mph, Miles City airport 67 mph, Rock Springs 64
mph, Sheridan 61 mph, Ekalaka 60 mph, Forsyth 59 mph, Baker 58 mph.
Strong winds snapped small tree limbs at Broadus.
August 5: Nearly stationary thunderstorms produced heavy rain and
caused flooding on US-191 north of Big Timber. A spotter 11 miles
north of Big Timber reported 4 1/2 inches of rain in just over an
hour, with small hail accumulating to 4 inches deep.
August 11-12: A couple of hot days. On the 11th, Sheridan (104) and
Livingston (103) set record highs, and Miles City reached 106. On
the 12th, Miles City (105) and Sheridan (104) set records, and Baker
reached 108 degrees. Billings did not set any records, but the 102
and 103 on the 11th and 12th, respectively, marked the first time
the airport reached 101 degrees or higher since 2012.
August 14: A severe thunderstorm produced 1.25 inch hail at Story,
and quarter size hail near Ucross in southern Sheridan County. There
was some accumulation of small hail on I-90 south of Sheridan.
August 27: A chilly day. Livingston (56) and Miles City (58) set
cold high temperature records. Higher elevations saw some minor snow
accumulation (Burgess Jct picked up 2 inches).
September 7: A microburst near Garland (Custer County) in the
evening caused trees to be uprooted and snapped a couple of power
poles, which started a grass fire.
September 28: Accumulating wet snow impacted the eastern slopes of
the Bighorn Mountains. The town of Big Horn received 3 inches.
September 30: A cool weather system brought the first snow of the
season to much of the western half of region. An inch or two of wet
snow fell along and west of a Roundup to Billings to Pryor line. The
Billings airport received 1.4 inches, which was its first measurable
snow in September since 2000.
October 13-14: Snow fell along the foothills. Amounts included:
Story 12-14 inches, Luther 12 inches, Red Lodge area 8-12 inches,
Nye 8 inches, Big Horn 7 inches, Sheridan and Mcleod 6 inches,
Absarokee 5 inches.
October 15: Sheridan fell to 12 degrees, a record low for the date.
November 5-6: Snow fell over the west: Livingston/Columbus/McLeod 6
inches, Springdale 4 inches, Story 3 inches.
November 16-17: Snow fell over the west and south: Red Lodge 11
inches, Story 9 inches, Luther 7.5 inches, Big Horn 5 inches, Joliet
and Columbus 4 inches.
November 23-24: Mystic Lake received 23 inches of snow, with 8-12
inches in the Red Lodge area. A few other reports: Nye 7 inches,
Wilsall 6 inches, Story 5 inches, Big Timber 4 inches.
November 30 - December 2: Snow affected much of the region, with
heaviest amounts in the east. Amounts included: Ridge 8.5 inches,
Boyes 7 inches, Powderville 6 inches, Ashland 5 inches, Colstrip and
Mizpah 4 inches.
December 11: Strong gap winds. Livingston airport had a peak gust
of 80 mph.
December 29: A peak gust of 85 mph was observed at the Livingston
airport. This was the 4th highest wind gust on record, dating back
to 1973. The daily average wind speed of 44.2 mph was a record for
December.
December 30-31: Snow and colder temperatures impacted the region.
Snow amounts were greatest in the south, and included: Red Lodge
area 8-14 inches, Story 10 inches, Joliet 9 inches, Pryor 9 inches,
Big Horn 9 inches, Alzada 7.5 inches, Pine Creek 7 inches, Sheridan
6 inches, Billings area 3-5 inches (with 6-9 inches in the hills
south of the Yellowstone River). Baker dropped to -14 degrees.
Have a great 2019 everyone!
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