Post by alex992 on Jan 15, 2021 15:35:36 GMT -5
Montana is a huge state, fourth largest in fact. So I figured it'd be interesting to do a climate battle from every extreme corner of the state.
First up is the NW corner of Montana, went with Libby, Montana which is the largest town closest to the NW corner of the state.
Annual snowfall isn't on here, according to this wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?mt5000 it's a mere 27.7" (70 cm) of snow on average, but that data is only 1998-2012. Other sources have it closer to 50" (127 cm) which seems more accurate. Either way, not a very snowy climate by Montana standards.
Second up is the SW corner of Montana. Montana doesn't really have a SW "corner" due to the curvy nature of the border with Idaho, so I went with Wisdom, Montana, which is near where the SW "corner" would be.
As you can see, much colder than Libby despite being further south due to higher elevation. Also, not exactly snowy by Montana standards. Similar to West Yellowstone temperature-wise with a lot less snow.
Third up is the SE corner of the state. No big towns near the SE corner, the ghost town of Albion, MT being very near to the SE corner. There's data of it on WRCC.
As you can see, snowfall is lacking quite a bit in winter here. Summer actually has similar highs to the NW corner of the state, but with warmer lows. This is so far the most continental one out of all the climates.
Fourth up is the NE corner of the state. Plentywood, Montana being the station I'm using. The least snowiest one but with the coldest winters so far. Although (IMO) that snowfall data looks shotty, as nearby Williston, ND averages more than twice the amount shown here (averages 45.3"/115 cm annually).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an added bonus, I'll add some places that are near the national parks to get more of the full scope on the climate.
West Yellowstone, MT (West entrance of Yellowstone)
Cooke City-Silvergate, MT (near the north entrance of Yellowstone)
Browning, MT (just east of Glacier NP, also the site where the fastest 24-hour drop in temperature has ever been recorded; a full 100 F (55.6 C) from 44 F (6.7 C) to -56 F (-48.9 C) in one day on January 23, 1916!)
Glacier NP headquarters itself. Located at a rather low elevation for the region, so most of the park itself is likely a lot colder.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For me, personally, I'd probably go with West Yellowstone. Actually has the best combo of warm (ish) summer highs with still good snowfall. Cooke City has noticeably cooler summer highs, and all the "corner" climates don't get enough snowfall, and still have too dry summers and too cool of summer nights for me. Browning likely offers the most excitement in terms of temperature swings however.
First up is the NW corner of Montana, went with Libby, Montana which is the largest town closest to the NW corner of the state.
Annual snowfall isn't on here, according to this wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?mt5000 it's a mere 27.7" (70 cm) of snow on average, but that data is only 1998-2012. Other sources have it closer to 50" (127 cm) which seems more accurate. Either way, not a very snowy climate by Montana standards.
Second up is the SW corner of Montana. Montana doesn't really have a SW "corner" due to the curvy nature of the border with Idaho, so I went with Wisdom, Montana, which is near where the SW "corner" would be.
As you can see, much colder than Libby despite being further south due to higher elevation. Also, not exactly snowy by Montana standards. Similar to West Yellowstone temperature-wise with a lot less snow.
Third up is the SE corner of the state. No big towns near the SE corner, the ghost town of Albion, MT being very near to the SE corner. There's data of it on WRCC.
As you can see, snowfall is lacking quite a bit in winter here. Summer actually has similar highs to the NW corner of the state, but with warmer lows. This is so far the most continental one out of all the climates.
Fourth up is the NE corner of the state. Plentywood, Montana being the station I'm using. The least snowiest one but with the coldest winters so far. Although (IMO) that snowfall data looks shotty, as nearby Williston, ND averages more than twice the amount shown here (averages 45.3"/115 cm annually).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an added bonus, I'll add some places that are near the national parks to get more of the full scope on the climate.
West Yellowstone, MT (West entrance of Yellowstone)
Cooke City-Silvergate, MT (near the north entrance of Yellowstone)
Browning, MT (just east of Glacier NP, also the site where the fastest 24-hour drop in temperature has ever been recorded; a full 100 F (55.6 C) from 44 F (6.7 C) to -56 F (-48.9 C) in one day on January 23, 1916!)
Glacier NP headquarters itself. Located at a rather low elevation for the region, so most of the park itself is likely a lot colder.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For me, personally, I'd probably go with West Yellowstone. Actually has the best combo of warm (ish) summer highs with still good snowfall. Cooke City has noticeably cooler summer highs, and all the "corner" climates don't get enough snowfall, and still have too dry summers and too cool of summer nights for me. Browning likely offers the most excitement in terms of temperature swings however.
