Excessive rainfall coupled with the melting of record winter snows brought flooding to the area. The flooding continued into May.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS GGW wrote it up.
Excessive rainfall coupled with the melting of record winter snows brought flooding to the area. The flooding continued into May.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 5, 8:48 AM MST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 948 AM MDT TUE APR 5 2011 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY... UPDATE...A FAIRLY POTENT SHORTWAVE FEATURE CONTINUES TO CROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA THIS MORNING. BIGGEST CHANGE FOR THIS MORNINGS UPDATE WAS TO INCREASE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AS FAIRLY WIDESPREAD RAIN IS EVIDENT ON RADAR, AND IS BEING BACKED UP BY SURFACE OBS. OTHERWISE TRENDED DOWN TEMPS SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE AREA GIVEN EXPECTED CLOUD COVER AND COOL AIR ADVECTION. ALSO TRENDED UP WINDS FOR THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTH AS SOME AFTERNOON INSTABILITY SHOULD ALLOW FOR SOME GUSTY WINDS. GILCHRIST PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND 500 MB HEIGHT FIELD SHOWING A SOMEWHAT AMPLIFIED AND ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE CONUS. A POTENT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS CONTINUES TO PUSH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD. WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS IN PLACE OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AS TWO UPPER LOWS SPIN OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC AND THE EAST CENTRAL PACIFIC. FORECAST CHALLENGES WILL FOCUS ON TIMING AND INTENSITY DETAILS WITH THE NEXT FEW UPCOMING STORM SYSTEMS SET TO BEGIN TUESDAY AND THURSDAY FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA. TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...RADAR REFLECTIVITY HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO INCREASE EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS OUR SOUTHWESTERN ZONES. WITH GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT...FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE AND SPREAD EASTWARD THROUGH THE CWA TODAY AND TONIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE DISTURBANCE SLIDES ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. A PICTURE OF MIXED PRECIPITATION VERSUS ONLY RAIN WILL FLUCTUATE WITH DAILY TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA. OUR NORTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN ZONES WILL SEE MORE SNOW WHILE OUR SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN ZONES WILL SEE MOSTLY RAIN THROUGHOUT THE SHORT TERM FORECAST PERIOD. WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL KEEP CONDITIONS DRY AS A STRONG UPPER LOW CENTER DIGS OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THURSDAY...THE STAGE IS BEING SET FOR ANOTHER ACTIVE AND STRONG STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTER CONTINUES TO DIG THROUGH THE INTER-MOUNTAIN WEST AS A LARGE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPS OVER WYOMING AND EASTERN MONTANA. AT THIS TIME PERIOD...MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE WITH PLACEMENT AND TIMING OF PRECIPITATION. TRIED TO BLEND AND COMPROMISE FOR NOW. AS A WHOLE THE STORM WILL LIKELY AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. BMICKELSON .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... MODELS AGREE THAT A LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL DIG INTO THE WESTERN STATES LATE THIS WEEK BUT THEY DISAGREE ON THE STRENGTH...PLACEMENT AND TIMING. THE GFS SHOWS A FASTER SOLUTION WHERE AS THE EC DEPICTS A SLOWER-MOVING AND DEEPER TROUGH TAKING A MORE SOUTHERN TRACK OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. THIS WILL ALLOW A LONG FETCH OF WARM MOIST AREA TO TRAVEL NORTH. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS...HOWEVER AT THIS TIME THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIP LOOKS TO FALL OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF MONTANA. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL REBOUND OVER THE WESTERN STATES BRINGING SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL NOT WARM SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER THIS PATTERN...THE RIDGE WILL BE SHORT- LIVED AS ANOTHER TROUGH WILL PUSH THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEAR THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD ON WEDNESDAY. AES && .AVIATION... A COMPLEX BUT WEAK OCCLUDED FRONT SYSTEM IS SENDING WARM MOIST AIR AND WARM FRONT IN FROM THE WEST WHILE A COLD FRONT MOVES IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS WILL PRODUCE WET AND MIXED PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING AND MOSTLY RAIN THIS AFTERNOON AS THE UPPER SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE PASSES THROUGH THE AREA. EXPECT MOSTLY VFR CEILINGS WITH OCCASIONAL MVFR. AS A SURFACE HIGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST AND THE SURFACE LOW MOVES EAST EXPECT WINDS TO PICK UP AS THE STRONG WINDS ALOFT MIX TOWARD THE SURFACE...LINING UP WITH SURFACE WINDS TO PRODUCE WESTERLY WINDS OF 15KTS TO 25 KTS. SCT && .HYDROLOGY... WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH SNOWMELT RUNOFF. CREEKS WERE RUNNING HIGH IN NORTHERN MCCONE AND RICHLAND COUNTIES BUT NO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. NORTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...WATER IS ALSO BEGINNING TO FLOW IN MANY OF THE STREAMS AND CREEKS. A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE BEAVER CREEK IN WESTERN VALLEY/EASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTIES. A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE BIG MUDDY RIVER IN SHERIDAN COUNTY. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR AREAL AND RIVER FLOODING POSSIBILITIES IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL VALLEY COUNTY THIS WEEK. THE MILK RIVER IS NOW RISING ACROSS PHILLIPS AND VALLEY COUNTY. WITH THE RIVER NEAR FLOOD STAGE AT GLASGOW AND NASHUA...A FLOOD WARNING WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED WITHIN THE NEXT DAY. PLEASE SEE THESE PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 1217 PM MDT TUE APR 5 2011 MTZ016>020-059-061-062-061800- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 1217 PM MDT TUE APR 5 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR BEAVER CREEK IN WESTERN VALLEY AND EASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTIES UNTIL THURSDAY MORNING AND FOR BIG MUDDY CREEK IN SHERIDAN COUNTY UNTIL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VALLEY COUNTY UNTIL THURSDAY AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SNOW MELT RUN OFF WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH ADDITIONAL FLOODING POSSIBLE. A STRONG SPRING STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT EASTERN MONTANA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE SYSTEM WILL BRING THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW OR WIDESPREAD RAIN TO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ021>027-060-061800- PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 1217 PM MDT TUE APR 5 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A STRONG SPRING STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT EASTERN MONTANA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE SYSTEM WILL BRING THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW OR WIDESPREAD RAIN TO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Milk River at the Glasgow gauge rose to flood stage, cresting on April 16th, above Major Flood Stage.
The USGS River Gauge at Tampico reported the Milk River to be above flood stage, with a crest on April 16th.
The USGS River Gauge at Nashua rose above flood stage, cresting on the 17th above moderate flood stage.
The river gauge at the Bjornberg Bridge rose to above flood stage from April 9th and remained there until April 27th. It crested on the 14th above moderate flood stage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2011
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: 307794, 307790, 307796, 307788.