Week's Worth of Frigid Temps and Blowing Snow

This past week was a chilly one for those in Valley County as an Arctic air mass moved into the region, causing havoc on last-minute shopping plans, travel plans and even prevented people from leaving or coming to the area for the holidays as expected. Schools started winter break a day or two earlier, the Amtrak train kept getting delayed, and those who did decide to venture out within the city were advised to drive with caution due to slippery roads and to cover themselves with warm clothing, in addition to scarfs, boots, and winter gloves to prevent frost bite.

The air mass moved into the region late Monday evening, Dec. 19, bringing with it dangerous temperatures and wind chills. Daytime highs remained below zero while the overnight lows got as cold as 40 below. As a result, the National Weather Service in Glasgow issued a week-long Windchill Warning. The cold weather delayed flights from Billings for those trying to get home for Christmas and the Amtrak Empire Builder route also kept canceling due to the snow fall and cold temperatures.

As the week progressed, so did the colder temperatures. Opheim School busses ran at 1 p.m. on Dec. 20 due to the extremely cold temperatures so only bus students were released at that time with in-town students remaining in school until 3:45 p.m. However the school canceled classes Dec. 21 and 22, rescheduling the Opheim School Christmas Concert for Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m., and all classroom Christmas celebrations are rescheduled for Jan. 3. Nashua School called Dec. 21 as a distance learning day due to the amount of students out sick and the concern the buses would not be able to run safely.

Glasgow Schools had school on Dec. 21, however Superintendent Wade Sundby provided the students with an extra day of winter break by canceling school on Dec. 22, due to the forecast of high winds and low temperatures. All extra curricular activities were also canceled. Prior to the announcement, Malta Schools halted their activity buses, which caused the cancelation of Glasgow Scotties boys basketball, wrestling and girls basketball "Color Rush" night which is rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 3.

In addition to school cancellations, Valley View Home experienced a water pipe burst in their sprinkler system on Dec. 22, where first responders from Glasgow Police Department and Glasgow Fire Department responded in addition to off-duty employees of Valley View Home. "The teamwork and togetherness in this freezing temperature was something I do not see regularly. Not only did they beat back the water and damage but they did so less than an hour due to the many team players jumping to help others and then finding more work to do," stated Valley View Nursing Home Administrator Wes Thompson in a statement. According to Thompson, five residents were temporarily evacuated and after draining and sanitizing their rooms they were able to return. "We, at Valley View Home, are fortunate to have so many amazing community members willing to jump out and get wet even in this cold," stated Thompson.

Conditions continued to worsen with road conditions, so much so that Highway 24 North became extremely dangerous with blowing snow, drifts in the roadway and bridges completed blocked on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Conditions did not improve, to the point that MT Highway 24N was closed starting at 1 p.m., from the intersection of US Highway 2 to Opheim, and the Valley County Sheriff's office asked travelers not to travel or go around the road closed signs. At 5:30 p.m., that day the Montana Department of Transportation opened the Highway as a result of weather conditions lifting, and the plows being able to clear the entire road in order to make it safe to travel again. According to the National Weather Service in Glasgow, the peak wind speed on Dec. 25, in Glasgow was 56 miles per hour at 8:53 a.m., however the wind continued to blow throughout the day, to the point the Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning for northern Valley County.

Though the weather seemed cold, according to Brandon Bigelbach, forecaster at the National Weather Service in Glasgow, no records were broken. Though Friday was the coldest day, getting down to -31 as a high, the record is -37, which was set in 1983. The record lows this past week were between -35 and -40 each day. The low temperatures this past week were in the 20s below except Friday, when it was -31. The National Weather Service does not keep track of wind chills climatologically, so the temperature outside certainly felt colder throughout the week.

The coldest recorded temperature in Glasgow was recorded on Feb. 15, 1936, where the temperature was -59, however an accurate thermometer in the Missouri River Valley registered -62, according to Glasgow Courier archives. Bigelbach reported Feb. 16, 1936, saw the temperature measured at -57 degrees.

The cold weather also caused Fort Peck Lake to freeze over on Dec. 21, which is the fifth earliest date on record since 1944. The four dates that Fort Peck Lake completely froze over prior to Dec. 20 are, Nov. 29, 1955, Dec. 19, 1961, Dec. 10, 1983 and Dec. 13, 1985. Fort Peck Late did not completely freeze over in 1987 or 1992.

The last week of 2022 is forecast to be slightly above normal for high temperatures. An increased chance for precipitation and above freezing temperatures could lead to slight chances for a freezing rain/snow mix Tuesday. Chances diminish on Wednesday before becoming mainly dry through the start of the new year.