Spring has officially arrived, and with the transition of the season, western Montana can experience a wide range of weather conditions.
Meteorologist Mitchel Coombs researched western Montana’s climatology regarding the spring equinox and breaks it down in the video above.
As the equinox’s specific date changes from year to year, this data lines up with this year’s equinox date, March 20.
Starting with the colder topics, we have snowfall. The heaviest snow on this date occurred in 1952 and 1953, in which Butte and Kalispell received 6.4 and 7.4 inches.
Subzero temperatures also remain possible at this time of the year, with all four of our major cities falling below zero at least once on this date. Missoula was the “warmest” of the locations, with a record low of 2 degrees below in 1913.
Now for what many of us are most excited about -- warmer temperatures! In 1910, Missoula reached 70 degrees on this date, and seven years ago, in 2016, Bozeman reached a balmy record high of 67.
Another sign of our transitioning seasons is our decreasing average snowfall. The average last 1/10 inch of snow falls in mid-April in Kalispell and Missoula. Butte and Bozeman generally see snow later in the spring, and the last 1/10 inch for these communities falls in May.
Now that we have reached the start of spring, what are other upcoming dates to prepare for?
The first is 20 days away, with Easter Sunday on April 9.
On May 14, it is time to celebrate the wonderful mothers in our life on Mother’s Day.
Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, takes place on May 29, and on the third Sunday in June, dads get their celebration day.
Within three days of Father’s Day, Juneteenth is June 19, and the official start to summer will be here on June 21.
As the temperatures rise through the season and the snow slowly melts, try to get out and enjoy all spring has to offer. What are you most looking forward to doing this spring? Let us know on social media and share photos of spring activities with us at nbcmontana.com/chimein.