Cold temperatures in Montana and North Dakota

By Scott Bachmeier • 8 February 2019

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images, with hourly plots of surface reports [click to play animation | MP4]

Very cold surface air temperatures occurred in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota on the morning of 08 February 2019 — with official lows of -50ºF near Antelope and Four Buttes in Montana and -47ºF at Bottineau in North Dakota (and according to MesoWest, -49ºF was registered at a Department of Transportation site west of Crosby in far northwestern North Dakota). GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above) revealed surface brightness temperatures across those areas were as cold as -47ºC (-53ºF).

A sequence of VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 (below) showed similar surface brightness temperatures, with some pixels as cold as -48ºC (-54ºF). The color enhancement applied to the VIIRS images is the same as that used on the GOES-16 images above, with the red colors beginning at the -40ºC breakpoint (violets begin at -50ºC). While there is not a direct correspondence between satellite-sensed surface infrared brightness temperatures and air temperatures measured in an above-ground instrument shelter, with improving satellite spatial resolution the difference is often within 1-3ºC (or 2-5ºF).

VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP (at 0753 and 0937 UTC) and NOAA-20 (at 0844 UTC) [click to enlarge]

Highs & lows from across the area today. The cold spots this morning were the stations 13 mi. NNW of Four Buttes & 2 mi. WSW of Antelope, both checking in at -50!

The "warm" spots this afternoon were 16 mi. NNE of Mosby at 15, & 5 mi. west of Landusky at 14. #mtwx #cold #brrr pic.twitter.com/UCPScKGS7b

— NWS Glasgow (@NWSGlasgow) February 9, 2019

The all-time record low minimum for any @NDAWNmesonet set at Hofflund this morning was a -47.3?F (-44.0?C) reading looking at the raw data, so there was no rounding down to get to -47?. #impressive

— Daryl Ritchison (@DarylRitchison) February 8, 2019

Categories: GOES-16, NOAA-20, Suomi NPP, VIIRS, Winter weather