In the High Plains, we are accustomed to rapid swings in temperatures. This is especially true during winter months. On January 22, 1943 chinook winds during the early morning hours caused the temperature at Spearfish SD to rise from 4 below zero to 45 above in just two minutes, the most dramatic rise in world weather records. An hour and a half later, the mercury plunged from 54 above to 4 below zero in 27 minutes. In another instance, on January 24, 1916, the temperature at Browning, Montana plunged 100 degrees in 24 hours, from 44 above to 56 below zero. It was a record 24 hour drop for the United States. Now that is a big swing!
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu