Montana, 2008Flood in Montana, May 23 to 31, 2008
May 23 to 31, 2008 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Prolonged heavy rains, combined with rapid snow melt, caused the East Gallatin River to leave its banks north of Bozeman. At least two dozen homes were affected by the high water.
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- 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.
Prolonged heavy rains, combined with rapid snow melt, caused the East Gallatin River to leave its banks north of Bozeman. At least two dozen homes were affected by the high water.
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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 8:54 PM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 22, 8:54 PM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
954 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008
.DISCUSSION...
UPDATE FORTHCOMING. HAVE MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE POP AND
WEATHER GRIDS...MAINLY TO BETTER ALIGN WITH NEIGHBORING OFFICES.
COPIOUS MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE ADVECTED OVER THE AREA FROM AN
UPPER LOW SPINNING OVER THE GREAT BASIN. HIGH POPS AND QPF VALUES
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. LATEST RIVER READINGS INDICATE
MANY STREAMS DROPPING A BIT DUE TO SNOW MELT BEING CUT OFF.
HOWEVER...STREAMS AND RIVERS REMAIN HIGH AND HYDRO STATEMENTS WILL
CONTINUE. EMANUEL
&&
.AVIATION...
MOIST EAST TO SOUTHEAST FLOW ALOFT WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION
THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HRS AS A NEARLY STATIONARY UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM REMAINS OVER THE GREAT BASIN. WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL
CONTINUE WITH MOUNTAINS AND HIGHER TERRAIN REMAINING OBSCURED. MVFR
CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WITH OCCASIONAL IFR CEILINGS IN PERIODS OF
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION. A PERIOD OF SOMEWHAT IMPROVED CONDITIONS IS
POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY MORNING...MAINLY OVER SW MT...AS SOME DRIER IS
PULLED INTO THE CIRCULATION BEFORE THE NEXT LOBE OF MOISTURE ARRIVES
BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HOENISCH
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 310 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008
TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL
CONTINUE TO PUMP ABUNDANT MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. RAIN AND SNOW
WILL FALL OVER THE ENTIRE AREA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...THEN SHOULD
START TO TAPER OFF IN THE SOUTHWEST. THE CURRENT BATCH OF WINTER
WEATHER WARNINGS STILL LOOK GOOD WITH SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS
BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES OVERNIGHT. HYDROLOGIC WARNINGS WILL ALSO
BE CONTINUED...AND MAY NEED TO BE EXPANDED...AS MODELS ARE
SUGGESTING THAT RIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AND WILL REMAIN ABOVE
FLOOD STAGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL
BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS BUT SHOULD WARM UP SOMEWHAT BY SATURDAY
WITH THE AIRMASS BECOMING UNSTABLE FOR A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON
THUNDERSTORMS. MPJ
SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...THE LARGE UPPER LEVEL CLOSED
LOW OVER THE WESTERN CONUS WILL SPIN OFF AN ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL
CLOSED LOW LATE IN THE WEEKEND OVER CENTRAL MONTANA...WITH AN
ATTENDANT SURFACE LOW OVER NORTHEAST MONTANA. PRECIPITATION CHANCES
WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY...PARTICULARLY SATURDAY
NIGHT...WHEN THE SURFACE LOW MOVES NORTHEASTWARD INTO ALBERTA...AND
A WEAK COLD FRONT SLIDES SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. WITH
SUFFICIENT CONVERGENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT...CONTINUED
ASCENT WITH THE UPPER LEVEL FORCING...AND LINGERING
MOISTURE...PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN LIKELY...ESPECIALLY OVER
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY NIGHT. ON
SUNDAY...THE COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO WASH OUT OVER SOUTHWEST
MONTANA...WHERE A CONTINUED CHANCE OF PRECIP WILL EXIST...ESPECIALLY
IN THE MOUNTAINS. IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT...SURFACE WINDS WILL
BECOME MORE NORTHERLY ON SUNDAY HELPING TEMPS REMAIN SEVERAL DEGREES
BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES...AS RAIN SHOWERS LINGER OVER THE PLAINS AND
VALLEYS...WITH SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. ON SUNDAY...SNOW
LEVELS WILL RANGE FROM 6000 FEET OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT...TO NEAR 7000 FEET OVER CENTRAL MONTANA...TO NEAR 8000 FEET
OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA. OVERALL...A WEAK POSITIVELY-TILTED UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE OVER WYOMING AND SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA SHOULD PROVIDE
SUFFICIENT SUBSIDENCE FOR LOWER PRECIP CHANCES ON SUNDAY...THOUGH A
FEW AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP OVER SOUTHWEST SUNDAY
AFTERNOON AS INSTABILITY DEVELOPS AROUND THE REMNANTS OF THE COLD
FRONT. SURFACE WINDS WILL BECOME EASTERLY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
ON MONDAY...AS EVEN COOLER CANADIAN AIR IS ADVECTED INTO THE
REGION...WITH SLIGHTLY LOWER SNOW LEVELS THAN ON SUNDAY. SCATTERED
SHOWERS WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...AS
THE ORIGINAL UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW IS EJECTED NORTHEASTWARD AS A
SHORTWAVE TROUGH. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR PRECIP WILL BE OVER
SOUTHWEST MONTANA...WHERE LINGERING CONVERGENCE FROM THE
AFOREMENTIONED FRONT WILL REMAIN. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE NORTHWARD
MONDAY NIGHT...AS SURFACE WINDS BECOME SOUTHERLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON
AND NIGHT...WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING TO NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES AND
SNOW LEVELS RISING. THESE SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE LOW-LEVEL
MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO THE REGION...RESULTING IN GREATER
INSTABILITY AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON OVER
SOUTHWEST MONTANA. DEEP-LAYER FLOW WILL BE RELATIVELY WEAK WITH
RIDGING ALOFT...SO STRONG STORM THREAT APPEARS LIMITED AT THIS TIME.
COHEN
WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...MODELS BEGIN IN FAIR AGREEMENT
WEDNESDAY BUT DIVERGE ON SOLUTIONS THEREAFTER. A BROAD UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE OVER THE MIDWEST IS EXPECTED TO PROGRESS EASTWARD IN ADVANCE
OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING ONSHORE FROM THE WEST
COAST. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A FAIRLY MOIST AND UNSTABLE
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER THE FORECAST AREA. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES
ARE EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS...SHOWERS WILL BE MORE NUMEROUS
OVER MOST MOUNTAINS. A FEW AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE. TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM TO NEAR OR A LITTLE ABOVE
SEASONAL AVERAGES. EK
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
RECENT SNOWMELT COMBINED WITH A PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANT RAIN OVER
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WILL CAUSE MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IN AREAS
OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA...THIS INCLUDES THE GALLATIN...BIG HOLE AND
JEFFERSON RIVERS. ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN IS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT WHERE CONTINUED RAIN IS EXPECTED AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. FLOOD
WATCHES WILL BE CONTINUED FOR THIS REGION AS WELL.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF 39 52 41 55 / 100 100 70 50
CTB 37 50 39 53 / 100 100 80 70
HLN 41 56 43 59 / 80 80 60 40
BZN 39 54 40 58 / 80 70 40 30
WEY 32 46 33 52 / 80 60 40 40
DLN 36 54 39 57 / 80 60 30 30
HVR 43 55 42 58 / 100 100 80 60
LWT 38 51 38 55 / 100 100 80 50
&&
.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR MTZ008>010-012>015-
044>046-048>055.
HEAVY SNOW WARNING UNTIL NOON MDT FRIDAY FOR MTZ008-015-055.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MDT FRIDAY
FOR MTZ009-014-048.
&&
SHORT TERM...EMANUEL/MPJ
LONG TERM...COHEN/EK
AVIATION...HOENISCH
WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 12:01 PM MST, 11 hours 59 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
101 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008
MTZ008>010-012>015-044>046-048>055-231200-
BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-CASCADE-
CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-TOOLE-
LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-
EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-
GALLATIN-
101 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
MINOR FLOODING IS FORECASTED FOR PORTIONS OF
BEAVERHEAD...MADISON...AND GALLATIN COUNTIES.
A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST MONTANA. CONTINUED PRECIPITATION MAY CAUSE SOME RIVERS TO
EXCEED FLOOD STAGE.
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON FRIDAY ABOVE
7000 FEET IN BEAVERHEAD...CASCADE...JUDITH BASIN...MADISON...MEAGHER...
AND GALLATIN COUNTIES.
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING
TO 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
MINOR FLOODING IS FORECASTED FOR PORTIONS OF BEAVERHEAD...
MADISON...AND GALLATIN COUNTIES THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.
A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON FRIDAY ABOVE
7000 FEET IN BEAVERHEAD...CASCADE...JUDITH BASIN...MADISON...MEAGHER...
AND GALLATIN COUNTIES.
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT FRIDAY
FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
MTZ011-047-231200-
HILL-BLAINE-
101 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
Flood, Gallatin
- When
- May 23, 12:00 AM MST to May 31, 12:00 AM MST
- Where
- Gallatin County, Bozeman to 2 mi N of Bozeman
- Cause
- Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 45.680, -111.030
Several days of heavy rain, combined with snow melt from 15 to 20 inches of snow that fell earlier in the mountains, resulted in the East Gallatin River to leave its banks. The flood waters resulted in at least two dozen homes being evacuated in the Springhill Park subdivision as well as a boil-water order for an additional 90 homes.
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 23, 20082 injured · $4.7 million · EF4 · 35 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 23, 2008$30,000 · EF3 · 16 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 23 to 24, 20081 death · 3 injured · 1.25 in hail · 9 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 23, 2008$2.8 million · EF1 · 9 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 2008$4.6 million · 1.75 in hail · 17 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 23 to 24, 20081 injured · $200,000 · EF1 · 22 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 2008$235,000 · 1 in hail · 10 events
- Flooding and Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 2008$200,000 · 1 in hail · 7 events
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 23 to 24, 2008$80,000 · 55 kt wind · 8 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Wyoming, May 23, 2008$10,000 · EF1 · 8 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Colorado, May 23, 2008EF1 · 4 events
- High Wind in Alaska, May 23, 2008$25,000 · 73 kt wind · 1 event
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: 103666.