Wait Seven Minutes and the Weather Will Change

I saw many bizarre things during my time at the University of Montana in Missoula, but none as eclectic as the day I watched an earthy looking girl riding a long board down a sidewalk while playing her guitar.   While unusual by itself, this picture was made even more striking by the backdrop: the sun had forced its way through the clouds and was shining on this girl, while at the same time; snow cascaded down on her from another direction.  This is a great snap-shot of Montana’s weather.  It can do many things at once and is constantly changing. 

If Mother Nature does control Montana’s weather, she has a multiple personality disorder, is temperamental and seems to enjoy putting Montana in the record books for rapid temperature change.  Montana holds the world record for the largest temperature change in a 24 hour period (a 103 degree change).  On January 15, 1972 the temperature went from -54 to +49 in a 24-hour period in Loma, Montana.  Montana also holds the record for the greatest 12 hour temperature change in the US (an 84 degree change).  The difference between Montana’s record high (117) and record low (-70) is also the greatest of all 50 states.  The warm winds, known as Chinooks, are the primary instigator of most of these rapid changes.

But what about the Montana saying “don’t like the weather? Wait ten minutes and it will change”? This saying probably came from January 11^th 1980, when the Great Falls International Airport went from a temperature of -32 degrees to +15 degrees in seven minutes!! 

In the Flathead Valley, this has been a bizarre fall and early winter in terms of weather.  We've had one major cold snap, low snowfall and buckets of rain, oh and let’s not forget about the earthquakes!  But in a way it’s normal that it has been weird.  This is life in Montana and this is life in the Flathead and Glacier Country.  If you’re willing to be flexible it can be tons of fun.  So be prepared for anything, always grab your winter coat and your speedo before hitting the road and remember: if you don’t like the weather, wait seven minutes and it could change 47 degrees!