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D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E
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W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 - 2 5
M
ONTANA IS RENOWNED FOR ITS
WINTER WEATHER, a reputation
that is punctuated by extraordinarily
dramatic events which literally can leave one
awestruck by the manifest power of Mother
Nature. Indeed, Dr. Kenneth F. Dewey, a re-
tired professor of climatology at the Universi-
ty of Nebraska, states that "nowhere on earth
do the conditions necessary for the creation of
dramatic weather come together with such se-
verity as they do here, in the American West."
Consequently, Kevin Conradt makes a com-
pelling argument that it would be more accu-
rate to interpret Montana weather, particular-
ly its winters, as oscillations between extreme
weather events, rather than the traditional
emphasis on statistically calculated average
conditions. Application of this "mathematical
bias," he contends, implies a patently "false
sense of environmental stability."
To illustrate the validity of this perspective,
one does not need to turn back the pages of
history farther than January 11-19, 2024, when
a powerful surge of bitterly cold air descended
upon Montana. A graphic posted by the Great
Falls office of the National Weather Service in-
dicates that at least 20 observational stations in
their monitoring region documented tempera-
ture variations for January that ranged from 102
to 115 degrees. All but one of these sites record-
ed a maximum monthly temperature of 60°F (or
higher), and lows ranging from -33°F to -51°F.
by DOUGLAS A. SCHMITTOU
that contribute to
Montana's Reputation
for Legendary
Winter Weather
Extreme
Weather
Events
