Montana, 2003

Flood in Montana, June 1 to 3, 2003

June 1 to 3, 2003 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Minor flooding occurred along the entire reach of the Bitterroot River the first week of June. Warm temperatures melted above normal snow pack, producing flood waters along county roads adjacent to the river as well as fishing access sites.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

Minor flooding occurred along the entire reach of the Bitterroot River the first week of June. Warm temperatures melted above normal snow pack, producing flood waters along county roads adjacent to the river as well as fishing access sites. The river crested a foot and half above the flood stage the morning of June 1st.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 7:45 PM MST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 7:45 PM MST, 4 hours 15 minutes before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION...COR
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
845 PM MDT SAT MAY 31 2003

CORRECTION TO REMOVE WORDING

.SHORT TERM...MOST OF THE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DISSIPATED.
THERE IS ONE ISOLATED CELL THAT WILL BE EAST OF BUTTE IN THE NEXT 15
MINUTES. AN UPPER DISTURBANCE JUST WEST OF ZONE 1 IN THE NORTHERN
PANHANDLE OF IDAHO IS PRODUCING SOME LIGHTNING STRIKES WITH ITS
INCREASING CELL. WILL ADD THUNDER IN ZONE ONE THIS EVENING. SHOULD
STAY IN NORTHERN ZONE ONE THOUGH. OTHERWISE CLEARING IS OCCURRING
BEHIND THIS LAST WAVE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY IN IDAHO. BELIEVE NIGHTTIME SKIES WILL CLEAR
OUT FAIRLY WELL...THUS WILL ADJUST CLOUD COVER WORDING OVERNIGHT.
SOME AREAS WHICH HAVE SEEN MUCH RAIN THE PAST FEW DAYS MAY SEE SOME
PATCHY FOG OVERNIGHT...WILL LEAVE THIS IN THE FORECAST. TEMPS LOOK
GOOD. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH/AND ASSOCIATED CURRENT TSTMS TO
OUR SOUTH WILL STAY THAT WAY...WELL TO THE SOUTH OF OUR CWA.  WILL
ADJUST ALL POPS DOWN.    RPN

.LONG TERM...COOLER NORTH TO NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PREVAIL INTO THE
COMING WEEKEND.  COULD SEE SOME LINGERING OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS
WEDNESDAY.  NEW GFS DEPICTS A STRONGER NORTHERLY WAVE WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THIS TIMING AGREES WITH ECMWF.  HOWEVER...
MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED...AND THINK BEST CHANCES (20-25%) WILL BE
ALONG THE DIVIDE.  FLOW SLOWLY TRANSITIONS TO NORTHWEST THEN WEST
BY SATURDAY AS INCOMING TROUGH TRIES TO FLATTEN RIDGE.  A WEAK WAVE
MOVES ACROSS SOUTHWEST CANADA SATURDAY...AND COULD PRODUCE A FEW
MOUNTAINS SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTH.  WHITMORE

.MSO...NUMEROUS FLOOD ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT. SEE
       GTFFLSMSO FOR DETAILS.

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB BBB 051/076 051/070 046/073 41201111
     BBBB 042/075 044/074 042/077 044/076 3400000000
FCA BBB 047/072 047/065 042/069 41101221
     BBBB 037/069 039/070 038/072 040/075 3411100000
POL BBB 048/074 048/069 045/071 41011211
     BBBB 040/072 041/072 040/075 042/076 3411000000
MSO BBB 045/075 048/070 046/073 41101111
     BBUB 041/073 042/073 042/076 043/076 3401000000
HMM BBB 043/076 047/070 044/072 41101111
     BBUB 040/074 040/073 041/077 043/076 3400000000
BTM BBB 042/072 043/066 037/069 41201211
     BBBB 033/070 036/068 036/072 038/072 3411100000
ORO BBU 054/077 057/075 055/077 41000000
     UUUB 047/080 050/081 051/084 053/080 3400000000
GRV BBU 046/070 049/069 046/071 41000110
     UUUB 042/075 044/076 045/078 047/076 3400000000
SMN BBB 045/075 047/072 042/073 41000011
     BBUB 041/075 041/076 041/077 042/076 3410000001
Hazardous weather outlook, May 31, 7:49 PM MST, 4 hours 11 minutes before
MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-011200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
849 PM MDT SAT MAY 31 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO

.DAY ONE... TODAY

FLOOD WATCHES AND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST
FLOOD BULLETIN ISSUED BY NWS MISSOULA FOR DETAILS...OR GTFFLSMSO. FOR
MORE INFORMATION ON RIVERS IN WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL
IDAHO CHECK THE LATEST RIVER STATEMENT FOR DETAILS...OR GTFRVSMSO.

PERSONS LIVING ALONG RIVERS AND STREAMS SHOULD MONITOR LEVELS AND
TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IF THEY BEGIN TO RISE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

SOME RIVERS ACROSS WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO WILL
REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. BY TUESDAY...
DRYER CONDITIONS ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES...ESPECIALLY AT
NIGHT...WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SUBSIDING WATER LEVELS IN THE MAJORITY OF
STREAMS AND RIVERS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD BULLETIN ISSUED
BY NWS MISSOULA FOR DETAILS...OR GTFFLSMSO. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON
RIVERS IN WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO CHECK THE LATEST
RIVER STATEMENT FOR DETAILS...OR GTFRVSMSO.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys

When
June 1, 12:00 AM MST to June 3, 6:30 AM MST
Where
Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, June 2003

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: 5362745.