D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 5
D I S T I N C T LY M O N T A N A • B E S T O F M O N T A N A • F A L L 2 0 2 5
90
F
ROM THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE (-69.7°F) EVER RE-
CORDED IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, WHICH
WAS OBSERVED ON JANUARY 20, 1954, TO A 103°F TEM-
PERATURE INCREASE THAT SPANNED PORTIONS OF JANUARY
14-15, 1972, BIG SKY COUNTRY HAS SET THE STANDARD FOR A
HOST OF EXTREME-WEATHER CATEGORIES. Other examples
of Montana's volatility include a bone-chilling 100°F tempera-
ture drop that transpired over 18 hours on January 23-24, 1916,
and powerful Chinook winds which, in winter, relentlessly bom-
bard the Rocky Mountain Front, as well as unseasonably severe
blizzards. However, one aspect of the Treasure State's meteoro-
logical legacy is less widely recognized.
According to Todd Chambers, a meteorologist for the Nation-
al Weather Service, "Montana has the highest number of re-
ported ice jams and ice jam-related deaths in the lower 48
states." Freeze-up jams, which typically occur during early- and
mid-winter, pose little threat to life or property. Most ice jams,
however, happen when river ice thaws in response to the warm-
ing temperatures of late winter and early spring. Indeed, mete-
orologist Mitchel Coombs states that "Nearly a third of all ice
jams occur in the month of March."
Ice floes generated by "breakup jams" become most problemat-
ic when they congregate near riverbends, mouths of tributaries,
and areas where river gradients decrease. Unfortunately, break-
BY DOUGLAS A. SCHMITTOU
THE ICE BUSTERS
