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Sheridan Area Experiences Warmest Year On Record In 2024
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16 hours agoon
When Sheridan area residents check the record books for weather, 2024 will be on top until history repeats itself.
The National Weather Service Office in Billings, Montana says the average temperature for last year, according to readings taken at the Sheridan County Airport, was 49 degrees Fahrenheit.
That average makes 2024 the warmest year on record, which dates back to 1907.
The previous record was 48.6 degrees in 1934.
Throughout last year, the Sheridan area set or tied 19 daily record high temperatures and only 3 record low temperatures.
The highest the thermometer reached was 105 degrees in early August, and the lowest was negative 31 in middle January.
Along the way, the Sheridan area experienced the warmest September and the 3rd warmest October on record.
A high temperature of 102 degrees was recorded on September 25th, making it the latest day in a calendar year that a high temperature of 100 degrees or more was recorded.
Joe Lester with the National Weather Service Office in Billings, says one contributing factor to the warmth is what didn’t happen enough times.
“Got through spring, and spring wasn’t overly wet and then we dried out pretty early and even the precipitation events that we had up in the Montana side really messed Sheridan a lot, so whenever you get that kind of situation where you dry out fast, that just feeds in the hotter and drier weather with less moisture on the ground.”
Last year ended up being the 12th driest year for the Sheridan area, with 10.68 inches of precipitation recorded.
The year before (2023) ended up being the 5th wettest year on record, with 22.55 inches of precipitation.