The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-22
THE COOLEST ON RECORD
March Has Been an Unusually
Severe Month.
REPORT OF THE OBSERVER
The Snow Remaining on the Ground
Has Forced the Stockmen to Feed
Their Cattle All the
Month of March.

Willis L. Moore, chief of the weather
at Helena, has just issued his report
for March. 1t reads as follows:
Atmospheric pressure-The monthly
mean pressure (reduced to sea-leveD at
Helena, Mont, was 1913 inches; Havre,
SO.16 inches; Miles City, 3O.16 inches;
est reading of the barometer was 1915
inches on the 9Th at Miles City; the
lowest, 1856 inches on the list at Miles
City.
Temperature-The monthly mean
temperature Of Montana for March,
1899, was 21.9 deg; the normal for the
state for March, as shown from % sta
tons throughout the state having five
years or more of record, was 25.6 deg,
which indicates a daily deficiency of
81 degrees: the greatest departure from
the normal was a deficiency of 14.6 deg.
"a Fort Keogh, Mont.
The highest monthly mean tempera
ture was 34.6 deg, at Troy, in the OK
IRENE northwest portion of the state, in
Flathead county; the lowest, 6.S at
Glasgow, in the northeastern portion, in
Valley county The highest recorded
temperature was 6S deg. on the 26th at
Kalispell: the lowest-31 deg, on the
I'D, at Glasgow: the range of tempera-
ture for the state for the month being
SO deg. The greatest daily range was
SO deg, at Kipp, on the 23d.
Precipitation-The average precipita-
ton for the state was ia inches; the
normal for March being 0.96 inches,
which shows an excess of 01S inches
for the month. The monthly precipita-
ton was 2.53 inches at Fort Keogh. The
greatest amount of precipitation in
any "a consecutive hours was
100 inches at Fort Keogh. The aver
age number of days on which .01 inches
| of precipitation fell was 5.
Weather-March of 1899 has the dis
| tinction of being the coolest March on
| record of which there are any official
| records kept by the weather bureau of
| the state of Montana. The temperature
| has been unusually low every day dur
| ing the month, with the exception of
the 18th and Sth; there has been an eX-
| cess of precipitation in the form of
snow and, on account of the steady cold
weather the snow has remained on the
| ground, thus causing the stockmen to
| feed their stock the entire month. In
| some localities the supply of feed was
| almost exhausted and cattle and horses
| We're dying off to some extent. Many
| cOnlllcllHS reports are received lela i've
| to the condition of stock on the ranges
and the point they all agree on is, that
| it has been the coolest March on record
| and has been very severe on stock.
| 1t is not an uusual occurrence for Sc
we're storms of short duration to occur
during March and occasionally lower
temperatures have been reported. but
never before has the snow remained or
the ground for such a long period with
! the temperature remaining so continu.
ously low.
During the month there were on ar
average 10 clear days, II partly cloudy
and 10 cloudy days.
A review for 1898 shows an unusually
warm January and February. Farmers
took advantage of this mild weather
and cultivated and sowed a larger
| acreage of winter wheat than ever be
fore. The spring was very backward
no crops made much progress unit
April 26th. The months Of May ant
! June constitute the rainy season 70
| Montana, and a large excess is show
in the precipitation table. The grounC
| was in fine condition and all kinds o
crops made rapid progress. The ma,
crop was extraordinary and a larg
| tonnage was secured. Winter begal
on November 10Th; stockmen began
feeding their stock regularly from tina
time and continued the remainder 0
the year.