Will Montana's Freezing Temps Top The All-Time Record This Week?

It would appear that Montana has been more naughty than nice as Mother Nature is bringing freakishly cold temperatures to the state this week.

Taking a look at the National Weather Services forecast for the next few days shows that Montana is going to be in the deep freeze leading up to Christmas. In fact, we're currently looking at a Winter Weather Advisory as well as a Wind Chill Warning.

The coldest stretch looks to be Wednesday night through Thursday. The overnight low on Wednesday is predicted to be 33 below zero with the high on Thursday predicted to be 18 below. Keep in mind, these are the actual temps and don't include the windchill or the real feel.

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While those are certainly life-threatening temperatures and should be taken very seriously, they don't come close to the coldest day in Montana's history. That day happened back on January 20th,1954 in Rogers Pass north of Helena. Rogers Pass dropped down all the way to 70 below.

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Not only is this the coldest day in Montana's history, but it's also the coldest day in the lower 48.

Before moving back to Montana, I spent a few years in the coldest city in the continental United States (Grand Forks, ND) There were a few days in that time span that with the windchill it felt like 70 below. For those of you that have never experienced that type of cold, all I can say is that it feels like your lungs are freezing as you breathe.

So while we won't be setting any all-time records this week, it is important to know that even short exposure to these types of freezing temperatures can cause damage to the body, such as frostbite.

With that in mind, make sure that you check-in on the elderly, pets, and livestock.

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If you're going to be traveling this holiday season, you certainly want to make sure that you have all the needed essentials in your vehicle. Extra gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, food, and even a warming candle are good things to keep with you during the winter months.

15 Important Items For Your Montana Winter Emergency Travel Kit

Life in Montana means being prepared for any type of weather. During the winter months, it's important to keep these items in your winter emergency travel kit.

LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.