Montana, 2003

Flood in Montana, March 13, 2003

March 13, 2003 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Deep snow pack from the previous weeks winter storms and a day of high temperatures in the 60s, lead to extensive snow melt and several small streams overflowing their banks in the Deer Lodge area. Two homes were damaged by flood waters getting into basements.

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.

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  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
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  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
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  • 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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

Deep snow pack from the previous weeks winter storms and a day of high temperatures in the 60s, lead to extensive snow melt and several small streams overflowing their banks in the Deer Lodge area. Two homes were damaged by flood waters getting into basements. City crews sandbagged to protect homes and two residents were evacuated during the flood event.

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 Mar 13, 9:00 AM MST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 9:00 AM MST, 3 hours before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
900 AM MST THU MAR 13 2003

.SHORT TERM...WILL BE UPDATING ZFP...NO UPDATED PLANNED FOR SFP.
SOUTHWEST FLOW WITH EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE ENERGY...MAINLY AFFECTING
CENTRAL IDAHO AND NW MONTANA TODAY. MAIN REASON FOR UPDATING ZFP IS
TO ADD MENTION OF WIND ADVISORY FOR THE CAMAS PRAIRIE AND SALMON
RIVER CANYONS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SOUTHERLY WINDS THERE HAVE
PICKED UP WITH A TIGHTENED PRESSURE GRADIENT...THE GRADIENT WILL
RELAX LATER THIS AFTERNOON ALLOWING WINDS TO DECREASE. WILL ALSO
MENTION SNOW LEVELS OVER THE FIRST FEW PERIODS IN MTZ002-043.
DESPITE HIGH SNOW LEVELS...AVALANCHE PROBLEMS IN THAT AREA PROMPTED
US TO PUT IN THIS INFORMATION IN THE ZONES. GILCHRIST

.LONG TERM...FAIRLY GOOD MODEL CONSISTENCY THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE
OUTLOOK...THEN DOWNHILL FROM THERE. GULF OF AK TROUGH GENERATES
SHOWERS ACROSS THE CWA AS FIRST FRONTAL SYSTEM PASSES THROUGH
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SECOND ON MONDAY MORNING. LAPSE RATES SHOULD BE
FAIRLY STEEP IN THE WAKE OF EACH FRONT WITH COLD AIR ALOFT. FOR
THIS REASON...HAVE COOLED MOUNTAIN TEMPERATURES. ANOTHER SYSTEM
MOVES INTO THE PAC NORTHWEST TUESDAY MORNING...HOWEVER A STRONGER
SPLIT FLOW ON THE ECMWF WOULD WEAKEN IT CONSIDERABLY. MRF TOO QUICK
TO MOVE CENTRAL PLAINS UPPER LOW ON THIS RUN COMPARED TO LAST.
ENSEMBLE SPREADS WIDEN BY THIS POINT ACROSS THE PAC NORTHWEST. WILL
CONTINUE WITH LOW PRECIPITATION CHANCES ON TUESDAY. HOWEVER BOTH
MRF/ECMWF SHOW ANOTHER SYSTEM MOVING INLAND LATE WEDNESDAY. TIMING
OF SYSTEMS MAY BE DELAYED DEPENDING ON DOWNSTREAM BLOCKING LOW
PATTERN. CONFIDENCE MUCH LOWER FOR DAYS 6/7.  BOLDT

.MSO...NONE.

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB WWW /052 036/052 035/051 3877656
     REBB 035/051 031/045 031/043 030/046 035/ 28445533212
FCA EEW /053 034/052 033/050 3824436
     EEBB 032/047 028/044 026/042 027/046 029/ 28433423212
POL EEW /056 035/053 034/052 3823435
     EEBB 033/051 029/047 028/045 029/048 030/ 28534423212
MSO BEW /063 036/055 034/054 3802434
     EEBB 034/050 030/046 029/044 030/047 031/ 28534423212
HMM BEW /065 037/057 035/056 3802434
     EEBB 033/053 029/051 027/049 028/051 031/ 28534323212
BTM BEW /057 032/058 031/056 3800332
     BBBB 028/050 022/048 019/046 022/050 023/ 28532333203
ORO WWW /062 044/062 043/061 3855547
     RRBB 039/054 034/052 037/050 037/054 040/ 28656523211
GRV EEW /064 041/058 040/057 3833546
     REBB 032/049 027/051 030/049 030/052 031/ 28565523212
SMN BEW /063 036/057 033/057 3800334
     REBB 030/048 027/045 024/043 026/048 027/ 28535323102
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 13, 9:30 AM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-141300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
930 AM MST THU MAR 13 2003

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

.DAY ONE...GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BLOW ACROSS THE CAMAS PRAIRIE
AND SALMON RIVER CANYONS OF CENTRAL IDAHO THROUGH EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. PLEASE SEE WIND ADVISORY (GTFNPWMSO) FOR DETAILS.

WINDS WILL BE BREEZY WITH INCREASING CLOUDS ELSEWHERE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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, Butte / Pintlar Region

When
March 13, 12:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Butte / Pintlar Region forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
46.306, -113.025 (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, March 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: 5346814.