Best in snow

Through Tuesday, Ekalaka had received 54.2" of snowfall this winter. The average for the area over an entire winter is 44.0". That average will be going up after this year.

The most snowfall ever recorded over an Ekalaka winter was during 2008-2009, when 95.4" blanketed the area. Comparatively, the record for Miles City is 64.5" (1995-1996) and the record for Billings is 103.5" (2013-2014). Those numbers are according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Were there years with more snowfall that weren't recorded?

During the 2015-2016 winter, Ekalaka had only 22.5" of snowfall. That is the least amount recorded.

While other areas throughout the region are reporting record amounts of snowfall, Ekalaka is a far cry away, at least for a season. Perhaps what makes it seem as though the area has received so much more snow this winter, though, is the fact that it has mostly fallen this month. The 26.5" of snowfall recorded this February is a record for the month. That record was previously a mere 14" and occurred in 2007.

According to the NWS, that 26.5" of snow has equated to about 1.25" of precipitation. The most precipitation ever recorded in February was 2.01" in 1978.

Basically, February was a record month, but the area would need some 41" more of snowfall to be any sort of record year.

Mother Nature would need a big fourth quarter and possibly even an overtime period to break that record. There are certainly a few fans left in the building cheering her on, but many have started rooting for the other team. Others have already left the building.