Montana, 2008

Flash Flooding in Montana, November 12 to 13, 2008

November 12 to 13, 2008 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A strong jet stream ushered a very moist plume of moisture over western Montana. Precipitation amounts of one to four inches fell over the Bitterroot Mountains, causing flash flooding in the lower terrain.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
$12,000
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 MSO wrote it up.

A strong jet stream ushered a very moist plume of moisture over western Montana. Precipitation amounts of one to four inches fell over the Bitterroot Mountains, causing flash flooding in the lower terrain.

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 Nov 12, 7:33 PM MST, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 12, 7:33 PM MST, 2 hours 27 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 12, 2:53 PM MST, 7 hours 7 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Ravalli

When
November 12, 10:00 PM MST to November 13, 7:00 AM MST
Where
Ravalli County, 3.19 mi SW of Victor to 2.25 mi W of Victor
Cause
Heavy Rain
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
46.388, -114.198

Ravalli County Road Department reported wash-outs on Middle Bear Creek Rd. (SW of Victor), Pleasant View Dr. (W of Victor), and Red Crow Rd. (SW of Victor).

Flash Flood, Ravalli

When
November 12, 10:00 PM MST to November 13, 7:00 AM MST
Where
Ravalli County, 2.66 mi WNW of Hamilton to 2.4 mi W of Hamilton
Cause
Heavy Rain
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
46.270, -114.198

Ravalli County Road Department reported wash-outs on West Side Rd. (SW of Hamilton), West Hills Way (NW of Hamilton), and Camas Creek Loop (SW of Hamilton).

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 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, November 2008

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: 137948, 137955.