1. Extreme weather events have the potential to alter both short- and long-term population dynamics as well as community- and ecosystem-level function. Such events are rare and stochastic, making it difficult to fully document how organisms respond to them and predict the repercussions of similar events in the future. 2. To improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which short-term events can incur long-term consequences, we documented the behavioural responses and fitness consequences for a long-distance migratory bird, the continental black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa, resulting from a spring snowstorm and three-week period of record low temperatures. 3. The event caused measurable responses at three spatial scales—continental, regional, and local—including migratory delays (+19 d), reverse migrations (>90 km), elevated metabolic costs (+8.8% maintenance metabolic rate), and increased foraging rates (+37%). 4. There were few long-term fitness consequences, however, and subsequent breeding ...