Brrrr! Polebridge hits 39 below zero
Brrrrr.
People in Northwest Montana awoke to bitterly cold weather Thursday morning.
Nowhere was it quite as cold as Polebridge, which hit minus 39 degrees at 6:15 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The thermometer plunged to minus 37 at Condon, minus 36 at Swan Lake, minus 26 at Finley Point, minus 24 at Kila, minus 23 at Evergreen, minus 22 at West Glacier.
At Glacier Park International Airport, the temperature dipped to a record-setting 21 below zero. The old record for Feb. 6 was minus 18 set in 1975.
The Weather Service had issued an extreme cold warning until 11 a.m. Thursday for Northwest Montana — and that warning proved true.
Despite the cold, all schools in Flathead County were open Thursday, according the Flathead County Superintendent of Schools website.
In the Flathead Valley, it’s supposed to warm up all the way to 4 degrees above zero Thursday. Polebridge is forecast to reach 7 degrees.
Elsewhere in Montana, temperatures fell to as low as 50 below at Elk Park north of Butte. Wind chills as cold as minus 56 were reported in Livingston.
The National Weather Service said record cold temperatures of at least 30 below were reported across the state, including Bozeman, Dillon, Fort Benton, Great Falls, Lewistown and West Yellowstone. It fell to 34 below in Great Falls, shattering the old mark of 28 below set 121 years ago in 1893.
West Yellowstone’s minus 47 tied a 100-year-old record.
Missoula’s minus 23 shattered the previous record of minus 17 set in 1899. Butte’s 36 below zero Thursday morning was 5 degrees lower than the previous record set in 1933.
Several Montana school districts cancelled classes or delayed the start of the school day due to the cold, power outages or boiler issues.
Montana State University Billings canceled classes Thursday over issues with heating the campus. The university is on an interruptible natural gas service with a propane backup. Facilities services director Jason McGimpsy said the backup system was “kicking out on us throughout the day” Wednesday. If the backup system went out, the entire campus would be without heat.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.