Rogers Pass (Montana)#Record cold temperature
{{Short description|Mountain pass in Montana, USA}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Rogers Pass
| photo =
| photo_caption =
| elevation_ft = 5610
| elevation_ref =
| traversed = {{jct|state=MT|MT|200}}
| location = Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States
| map = USA Montana
| range = Rocky Mountains
| coordinates = {{coord|47|04|35|N|112|22|11|W|type:pass_region:US}}
| topo = USGS Rogers Pass (MT)
}}
Rogers Pass is a mountain pass that rises {{convert|5610|ft|m}} above sea level and is located on the Continental Divide in the U.S. state of Montana.{{cite web | url = http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=47.07639&lon=-112.36972&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50| title = Rogers Pass, USGS Rogers Pass (MT) Topo Map| format = Map| work = | publisher = TopoQuest | accessdate = 2008-06-29}} The pass is adjacent to Helena National Forest and is traversed by Montana Highway 200, providing the shortest route between the cities of Great Falls and Missoula, Montana. It was the site of the second-coldest temperature ever recorded in United States history on January 20, 1954.
Rogers Pass is more than {{convert|100|mi|km}} south of Marias Pass, and there are no other roads that cross the Continental Divide between these two passes. The region between the two passes is mostly wilderness, and the majority of it has been set aside and protected from future development. The Great Bear, Scapegoat and Bob Marshall Wildernesses have been consolidated into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and permanently protect {{convert|1535352|acre|km2}}. The region is noted for its inaccessibility and as one of the last strongholds for the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states.{{cite web | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead/wilderness/bmwcomplex.shtml| title = Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex | work =Flathead National Forest | publisher = U.S. Forest Service | accessdate = 2007-03-14}} The Scapegoat Wilderness is a {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} hike north of Rogers Pass via the Continental Divide Trail.
Origin of name
Rogers Pass in Montana was named by the Great Northern Railway for one of the line's locating surveyors,{{cite book|last=Spritzer|first=Dan|title=Roadside History of Montana|year=1999|publisher=Mountain Press Publishing Co.|location=Missoula, MT|isbn=0-87842-395-8 |pages=432, at p. 264}} A.B. Rogers, who located the pass in 1887. Rogers has the distinction of having two passes named after him: this one in Montana and another Rogers Pass in British Columbia, Canada, approximately {{convert|373|mi|km}} to the northwest. In 1881 and 1882, A.B. Rogers was a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), and he located Rogers Pass in British Columbia, which was then used by the CPR on its transcontinental line across Canada. The CPR named the pass after Rogers. James J. Hill, who controlled the Great Northern, then hired Rogers as a locating engineer on the latter, which built into Montana in 1887. Shortly after Rogers had located the pass in Montana that bears his name, his career ended when he was badly injured falling from his horse.[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=5806 Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online] Although Hill and the Great Northern eventually chose Marias Pass, {{convert|100|mi|km}} to the north, as the route over the Continental Divide for their transcontinental railroad, Hill saw to it that Rogers Pass in Montana was named after the surveyor.
Golden eagle migration route
The region is a noted location for observation of golden eagles and, to a lesser extent, bald eagles. In March and April, strong westerly winds help migrating flocks of eagles cross the Continental Divide so that they can spend the summer on the Great Plains. During these months, over 800 golden eagles and 129 bald eagles have been observed heading east. From mid-September through October, a similar migration occurs, but in the opposite direction. This is also a migration route used by other raptors such as northern goshawks, red-tailed hawks, and rough-legged hawks. Canada geese, tundra swans, and snow geese also use the pass during migration periods. The golden eagles and other birds can be observed from a distance as close as {{convert|100|to|500|ft|m|-1}}.{{cite web | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/naturewatch/Montana/wildlife/rocky-mountain-front/index.shtml| title = Rocky Mountain Front Eagle Migration Area | work = NatureWatch Viewing Sites | publisher = U.S. Forest Service | accessdate = 2007-03-11}}
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Rogers Pass has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=951742&cityname=Rogers+Pass%2C+Montana%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Rogers Pass, Montana] Summers tend to be warm to hot, with cooler nighttime temperatures, while winters are very snowy and cold, sometimes severely cold. Precipitation peaks during late spring and early summer.
=Record-cold temperature=
Rogers Pass is the location of the lowest temperature ever recorded in the contiguous United States. On January 20, 1954, a low temperature of {{convert|-70|°F|°C|abbr=on}} was recorded during a severe cold wave.{{cite web | url = http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/tfx/tx.php?wfo=tfx&type=html&loc=text&fx=topweather| title = Top Ten Montana Weather Events of the 20th Century | format = | work =National Weather Service Unveils Montana's Top Ten Weather/Water/Climate Events of the 20th Century | publisher = National Weather Service | accessdate = 2007-03-09}} Only Alaska, Antarctica, Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, and Russia have recorded lower temperatures. Since the establishment of the modern weather station in 1964, however, the temperature has not fallen below {{convert|-46|°F|°C|abbr=on}}.
{{Weather box
|location = Rogers Pass
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high F = 61
|Feb record high F = 64
|Mar record high F = 75
|Apr record high F = 82
|May record high F = 88
|Jun record high F = 94
|Jul record high F = 100
|Aug record high F = 100
|Sep record high F = 95
|Oct record high F = 90
|Nov record high F = 71
|Dec record high F = 60
|year record high F=
|Jan high F = 33.4
|Feb high F = 38.3
|Mar high F = 44.3
|Apr high F = 53.5
|May high F = 62.9
|Jun high F = 71.2
|Jul high F = 81.7
|Aug high F = 80.4
|Sep high F = 69.4
|Oct high F = 57.6
|Nov high F = 42.2
|Dec high F = 34.0
|Jan mean F = 23.6
|Feb mean F = 28.1
|Mar mean F = 33.3
|Apr mean F= 41.5
|May mean F= 50.3
|Jun mean F= 57.9
|Jul mean F= 65.8
|Aug mean F= 64.3
|Sep mean F= 54.3
|Oct mean F= 45.0
|Nov mean F= 32.8
|Dec mean F= 24.8
|year high F =
|Jan low F = 13.8
|Feb low F = 18.0
|Mar low F = 22.4
|Apr low F = 29.6
|May low F = 37.7
|Jun low F = 44.6
|Jul low F = 50.0
|Aug low F = 48.3
|Sep low F = 39.3
|Oct low F = 32.5
|Nov low F = 23.4
|Dec low F = 15.7
|year low F =
|Jan record low F = -70
|Feb record low F = -39
|Mar record low F = -27
|Apr record low F = -19
|May record low F = -12
|Jun record low F = 23
|Jul record low F = 31
|Aug record low F = 28
|Sep record low F = 9
|Oct record low F = -9
|Nov record low F = -34
|Dec record low F = -46
|year record low F =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 20
|Feb precipitation mm = 15
|Mar precipitation mm = 30
|Apr precipitation mm = 46
|May precipitation mm = 80
|Jun precipitation mm = 80
|Jul precipitation mm = 33
|Aug precipitation mm = 43
|Sep precipitation mm = 43
|Oct precipitation mm = 28
|Nov precipitation mm = 18
|Dec precipitation mm = 23
|year precipitation mm = 459
|Jan snow inch = 12.1
|Feb snow inch = 11.1
|Mar snow inch = 13.4
|Apr snow inch = 10.5
|May snow inch = 3.6
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 2.3
|Oct snow inch = 3.8
|Nov snow inch = 7.6
|Dec snow inch = 12.6
|year snow inch=
|Jan precipitation days = 6
|Feb precipitation days = 5
|Mar precipitation days = 7
|Apr precipitation days = 7
|May precipitation days = 9
|Jun precipitation days = 9
|Jul precipitation days = 6
|Aug precipitation days = 6
|Sep precipitation days = 6
|Oct precipitation days = 5
|Nov precipitation days = 5
|Dec precipitation days = 6
|year precipitation days=77
|Jan snow days = 3.8
|Feb snow days = 3.9
|Mar snow days = 3.2
|Apr snow days = 1.8
|May snow days = 0.7
|Jun snow days = 0.1
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.5
|Oct snow days = 1.2
|Nov snow days = 2.4
|Dec snow days = 3.4
|year snow days=21
|source 1 = Weatherbase{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=951742&cityname=Rogers-Pass-Montana|publisher=Weatherbase|title=Weatherbase.com|year=2016|accessdate=July 27, 2016}}
}}
See also
Cited references
{{Reflist}}
{{Lewis and Clark County, Montana}}
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