Montana, 1998

Flash Flood in Montana, July 30, 1998

July 30, 1998 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Silver Bow

When
July 30, 3:00 PM MST
Where
Silver Bow County, Butte
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
45.902, -112.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Torrents of rain and hail fell on Butte in an hour-long thunderstorm which dumped over 2 inches of rain and hail over most of urban Butte. Blacktail Creek was over its banks in many areas. Silver Bow Creek, which normally has little or no water in the summer, was running like a river. Montana and Harrison Ave. streets were flooded and impassable during the peak of the storm. Debris from the hill washed down large rocks and boulders, which covered many of the streets in the up-town area. Underground power lines were washed out with residents without power for two to three days. Many private homes suffered flooded basements, yards and garages. Two trailer parks, located at the bottom of hills, suffered major damage. Centerville Volunteer Fire Dept. had major water damage.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 1998

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: 5651193.