Montana town experiences 80-degree temperature swing

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The temperature in a northern Montana town changed by more than 80 degrees in a single day this week.

The Great Falls Tribune reports the town of Fort Belknap recorded a temperature of 37 degrees below zero Tuesday morning.

The temperature rose to 45 degrees by the afternoon.

National Weather Service says the cause of the dramatic change was a chinook wind, a warm wind blowing down the side of the Rockies.

The Montana town of Loma experienced a 103-degree temperature swing on January 15, 1972.