BILLINGS — An interesting piece of Billings weather history disappeared Saturday afternoon when the city officially reached over 100 degrees on July 25 for the first time since record-keeping began in 1934.
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For more than 90 years, July 25 stood alone as the only day in July that had never reached triple digits. Every other July date had hit 100 degrees at least once, except this one.
That changed in the afternoon, when temperatures climbed to a high of 102 degrees, breaking the previous July 25 record high of 98 degrees, set in 1945, according to the National Weather Service.
"It’s kind of an odd climate stat that we have," Billings National Weather Service meteorologist Logan Torgerson said. "It's kind of exciting because, like I said, it's one of those odd climate stats that you just dig into and find."
The milestone surprised even seasoned meteorologists because of where it fell on the calendar.
"Billings has gotten to at least 100 degrees every day from June 23 through Aug. 20. The one day that is the exception is today, July 25," Torgerson said. "Another odd part about that is July 24 is the day on which Billings has gotten to 100 degrees the most."
He said July 24 has reached 100 degrees 11 times, while July 25 had never done so until Saturday.
The historic reading marked Billings' fourth 100-degree day of the year. The city averages about three such days annually, Torgerson said.
While meteorologists celebrated the end of one of Billings' most unusual climate records, residents spent the day finding ways to stay cool.
Before sunrise, dozens gathered at Amend Park for the Big Sky Balloon Rally, where hot air balloons lifted into the morning sky before temperatures became unbearable.
By midmorning, families flocked to splash pools and shaded parks.
"It seemed like a good day to come out and cool off," said Bailey Nitschke, who brought her son to the Pioneer Park splash pool. "This has definitely been a really hot summer, more hot than it's been that I can remember in a long time."
Others braved the heat while working outdoors.
At the Billings Best Flea Market at MetraPark, vendors Ashley Martin and her mother, Emilie Qualmann, relied on fans, spray bottles, and plenty of water to get through the afternoon.
"It was a fairly busy day, even with the extreme heat," Martin said. "Lots of water. I think we downed a case of water between three of us today."
Qualmann, who has lived in Montana for more than two decades, said the conditions were among the hottest she could remember.
"We've been in Montana for 23 years, and the heat is so ... it hurts," she said. "We had a lady with a little heat exhaustion. Nothing too serious, thankfully.”
For many residents, relief came in the form of frozen treats.
At Gelavita, a dessert shop that opened last month in Billings Heights at 520 Wicks Lane, customers lined up for gelati, layers of Italian ice and frozen custard, as temperatures climbed into record territory.
"It's been fun. We've been really busy," co-owner Katie Jones said. "We've been really busy, but loving it and well received by the community, and it's been good."
"I definitely think people know if they want to cool off, this is the place to come. Plus, we keep it cool in here," co-owner Leia Bushman added. "We also do dirty sodas and protein drinks and chillers and energy drinks, so that's been really great in the summer, along with the gelati and Italian ice, custard to help people cool off."
Now, every day in July has officially reached 100 degrees at least once in Billings' recorded history.
