National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
NOUS45 KMSO 011043
PNSMSO
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
500 AM MDT WED MAY 1, 2013


...APRIL CLIMATOLOGY...

OVERALL APRIL TURNED OUT TO BE DRIER THAN NORMAL WITH
TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL,  HOWEVER THERE WERE AREAS WHERE SNOWFALL
WAS GREATER THAN NORMAL.

APRIL CLIMATE:

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

               AVERAGE       DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
             ============    =====================
MISSOULA         42.7           -2.3
KALISPELL        40.6           -3.0  (22ND COLDEST)
BUTTE            35.9           -3.1  (16TH COLDEST



PRECIPITATION

              TOTAL       DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
             ========     =====================
MISSOULA       0.68"          -.54"
KALISPELL      1.03"          -.21"
BUTTE          0.24"          -.97"  (5TH DRIEST)


SNOWFALL

              TOTAL       DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
             ========     =====================
MISSOULA       4.8"          + 3.6"
KALISPELL      0.9"          + 0.2"



SOME NOTABLE RECORDS FOR APRIL


BUTTE RECORDED ITS 5TH DRIEST APRIL:

0.12"   1974
0.18"   1962
0.18"   1985
0.20"   1910
0.24"   2013



TEMPERATURES WERE NOTABLY BELOW NORMAL ON THE 22-24TH AND THE 29TH-
30TH OF APRIL. RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES WERE RECORDED IN MANY AREAS OF
THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.

MISSOULA RECORDED IT LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL
IN 34 YEARS (1979) ON APRIL 22ND WITH A LOW OF 15 DEGREES.
EXTREME RECORDS GO BACK TO 1893. THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE
LOWEST TEMPERATURES RECOREDED IN MISSOULA THE MONTH OF APRIL:

 2   APRIL  1, 1936
 8   APRIL  2, 1936
11   APRIL  3, 1935
12   APRIL  2, 1935
12   APRIL 27, 1907
13   APRIL  1, 1935
14   APRIL 19, 1951
15   APRIL 22, 2013
15   APRIL  1, 1975
15   APRIL 21, 1951
15   APRIL  2, 1945

NOTE:  ONLY 4 TIMES IN 120 YEARS HAS THE LOW TEMPERATURE BEEN 15
DEGREES OR COLDER THE LAST 10 DAYS OF APRIL IN MISSOULA.



IN ADDITION MISSOULA RECORED 4.8 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE MONTH OF
APRIL WHICH IS THE 6TH SNOWIEST APRIL IN THE LAST 16 YEARS (1997).
MOST RECORDED SINCE 1893. RECORD SNOWIEST APRIL IN MISSOULA:

SNOWIEST APRILS IN MISSOULA

13.8"   1921
11.2"   1922
8.2"    1970
6.9"    1950
6.6"    1982
6.1"    1951
6.0"    1997
5.8"    1968
5.7"    1966
5.7"    1967
5.2"    1989
4.8"    2013



THE LAST 2 WEEKS OF APRIL IN MISSOULA WAS A COLD ONE. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 42.1 MAKES IT THE 11TH COLDEST LAST 2 WEEKS OF APRIL
ON RECORD SINCE 1948. THE COLDEST LAST 2 WEEKS WAS IN 1967 WHERE THE
AVERAGE WAS 39.6


















LOCATION

TIME/DATE

IDAHO

...CLEARWATER...
DENT                           58 MPH    1216 PM
04/29 2 E GREER                      41 MPH    0445 PM
04/29 DWORSHAK-DENT ACRES            39 MPH    0215 PM
04/29 1 W TEAKEAN                    38 MPH    1245 PM
04/29

...IDAHO...
HIGH CAMP                      58 MPH    1025 AM
04/29 GRANGEVILLE 1N                 49 MPH    1144 AM
04/29 LODGEPOLE RAWS                 46 MPH    0640 PM
04/29 4 SSE COTTONWOOD               45 MPH    1115 AM
04/29 GRANGEVILLE AIRPORT            40 MPH    1135 AM
04/29 PITTSBURG LANDING RAWS         35 MPH    0405 PM
04/29 SLATE CRK RAWS                 34 MPH    0210 PM
04/29 3 SE FERDINAND                 32 MPH    0515 PM
04/29 2 ENE ELK CITY                 31 MPH    0133 PM
04/29

...LEMHI...
11 W SHOUP                     58 MPH    1251 PM
04/29 LEMHI COUNTY AIRPORT           53 MPH    1155 AM
04/29 EZRA CREEK RAWS                53 MPH    0126 PM
04/29 4 S SALMON                     53 MPH    1155 AM
04/29 5 ESE NORTH FORK               53 MPH    0651 PM
04/29 3 WSW SALMON                   50 MPH    0136 PM
04/29 LEODORE CREEK                  47 MPH    0536 PM
04/29 RED ROCK PEAK RAWS             39 MPH    1248 PM
04/29 10 WNW SHOUP                   30 MPH    0537 PM
04/29

MONTANA

...FLATHEAD...
CRESTON                        62 MPH    0115 PM
04/29 4 W KALISPELL                  57 MPH    0138 PM
04/29 2 WNW EVERGREEN                39 MPH    1039 AM
04/29 KALISPELL GLACIER AP           39 MPH    1247 PM
04/29 4 N SOMERS                     36 MPH    1005 AM
04/29 CRESTON                        35 MPH    0415 PM
04/29 1 SSW KALISPELL                35 MPH    0106 PM
04/29 1 NNE POLEBRIDGE               34 MPH    0253 PM
04/29 STILLWATER RAWS                30 MPH    1100 AM
04/29

...GRANITE...
BEARMOUTH I-90                 45 MPH    0131 PM
04/29 3 W GEORGETOWN                 41 MPH    0401 PM
04/29 PHILIPSBURG RAWS               34 MPH    0415 PM
04/29

...LAKE...
RONAN AIRPORT                  46 MPH    0235 PM
04/29 4 NE ARLEE                     42 MPH    0241 PM
04/29 1 SW SAINT IGNATIUS            39 MPH    0415 PM
04/29 1 WNW ROUND BUTTE              38 MPH    0215 PM
04/29 RONAN RAWS                     38 MPH    0131 PM
04/29 7 ESE ROLLINS                  36 MPH    0105 PM
04/29 RONAN                          34 MPH    0151 PM
04/29

...LINCOLN...
ZONOLITE                       44 MPH    0406 PM
04/29 1 NNW EUREKA                   36 MPH    1115 AM
04/29 TROY RAWS                      36 MPH    1107 AM
04/29 2 NW STRYKER                   34 MPH    1132 AM
04/29

...MINERAL...
ALBERTON                       45 MPH    0505 PM
04/29 MULLAN PASS VOR                43 MPH    1048 AM
04/29 PARDEE                         33 MPH    0159 PM
04/29

...MISSOULA...
POTOMAC                        50 MPH    1245 PM
04/29 MISSOULA, MT                   49 MPH    0228 PM
04/29 2 ENE CLEARWATER               44 MPH    0130 PM
04/29 1 E NINEMILE                   40 MPH    0201 PM
04/29 SWAN LAKE SOUTH MT-83          38 MPH    0220 PM
04/29 MISSOULA FIRE LAB RAWS         37 MPH    0328 PM
04/29 NINE MILE RAWS                 31 MPH    0159 PM
04/29 4 NNE LOLO                     30 MPH    0421 PM
04/29

...POWELL...
AVON NORTH MT-141              56 MPH    0429 PM
04/29 DEER LODGE WEATHER STATION     47 MPH    0300 PM
04/29 MCDONALD PASS                  45 MPH    0500 PM
04/29 DEER LODGE                     40 MPH    0400 PM
04/29 GARRISON                       38 MPH    0130 PM
04/29 DEER LODGE                     35 MPH    1223 PM
04/29 4 ENE CLEARWATER               34 MPH    0526 PM
04/29 SEELEY LAKE RAWS               31 MPH    0417 PM
04/29

...RAVALLI...
DEER MOUNTAIN RAWS             45 MPH    0206 PM
04/29 4 W DARBY                      42 MPH    0509 PM
04/29 TEPEE POINT RAWS               42 MPH    0409 PM
04/29 STEVENSVILLE RAWS NEAR         35 MPH    0214 PM
04/29 SULA RAWS                      31 MPH    0328 PM
04/29

...SANDERS...
1 SW HOT SPRINGS               41 MPH    0115 PM
04/29 THOMPSON FALLS RAWS            35 MPH    0202 PM
04/29 PLAINS                         33 MPH    0256 PM
04/29 PLAINS                         32 MPH    0316 PM
04/29 1 WNW PLAINS                   31 MPH    0155 PM
04/29

...SILVER BOW...
BUTTE BERT MOONEY AP           47 MPH    0548 PM
04/29

weather.gov/missoula