Montana, 1996

Flooding in Montana, March 11 to 13, 1996

March 11 to 13, 1996 · NWS TFX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A rapid warming of temperatures, after an extended cold, snowy period, caused ice jams and flooding problems across north central Montana. Many small streams went out of their banks, washing out numerous roads.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$1.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

A rapid warming of temperatures, after an extended cold, snowy period, caused ice jams and flooding problems across north central Montana. Many small streams went out of their banks, washing out numerous roads. 3 homes were flooded on the Fort Belknap reservation and most roads were closed. Other hard hit areas included Blaine county where a basement was flooded in the town of Lohman. The Marias river went out of it's banks, flooding low lying areas, including one farm south of Shelby. Several families were evacuated in Harlem where 15 homes were flooded. In Chester, 8 to 10 homes had minor basement flooding and a laundromat was flooded. The estimated damage across the region totaled about 1.5 million dollars, mostly from washed out raods and bridges.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When
March 11, 6:00 AM MST to March 12, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Property damage
$200,000
Coordinates
47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys

When
March 11, 6:00 AM MST to March 13, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys forecast zone
Property damage
$1.3 million
Coordinates
46.560, -114.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544421, 5544422.