An ice jam developed on the Missouri River and flooding occurred in low-lying areas on the north side of Fort Benton.
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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 TFX wrote it up.
An ice jam developed on the Missouri River and flooding occurred in low-lying areas on the north side of Fort Benton.
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 Feb 25, 4:55 PM MST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 455 PM MST FRI FEB 25 2011 UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A COLD ARCTIC AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE FORECAST THIS EVENING...BUT WILL BEGIN TO MOVE OFF TO THE EAST LATER TONIGHT. CLEAR SKIES...CALM WINDS AND FRESH SNOW COVER WILL ALLOW FOR VERY COLD OVERNIGHT LOWS AGAIN TONIGHT. OVER NORTH CENTRAL MT...LOW TEMPS WILL OCCUR THIS EVENING...BEFORE A SLOW MODERATION OF TEMPERATURES BEGINS LATER TONIGHT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AS A LEE-SIDE SURFACE TROUGH NOSES SOUTHWARD FROM CANADA ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ROCKIES. WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT...AND THE SURFACE LEE-SIDE TROUGH...WILL STRENGTHEN ON SATURDAY WITH GUSTY SW WINDS SPREADING EAST ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL MT WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF GLACIER COUNTY BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS AND WARMING ALOFT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY MODERATE THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH MOST LOCATIONS SEEING MAX TEMPS IN THE TEENS AND TWENTIES BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE A PERIOD TONIGHT WHEN TEMPS ARE STILL COLD AS WINDS DEVELOP FOR VERY LOW WIND CHILLS ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL MT AND WILL HAVE A WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. CONCERN THEN SHIFTS TO BLOWING SNOW POTENTIAL AS WINDS INCREASE FURTHER BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY IN THE GLACIER COUNTY AREA AND WILL HIGHLIGHT THIS WITH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW FOR MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL MT TOMORROW. WINDS DECREASE BUT WILL REMAIN BREEZY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY WITH TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO WARM BUT REMAINING BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES. HOENISCH SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT TONIGHT FOR THIS PERIOD. A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL REMAIN OVER THE TFX CWA SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER SUNDAY NIGHT...KEEPING THE BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. TEMPERATURES WILL MOSTLY REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES...EXCEPT FOR 5 TO 10 DEGREE BELOW NORMAL LOWS ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THIS COLD FRONT WILL THEN MOVE SOUTH OVER THE PLAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...SHIFTING SURFACE WINDS MORE NORTHERLY AND UPSLOPE. THIS WILL USHER IN MUCH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THIS AREA BY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...ALONG WITH AN INCREASED CHANCE OF SNOW. HOWEVER...THE COLD AIR WILL REMAIN EAST OF THE ROCKIES...KEEPING THE VALLEYS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURE-WISE. THE MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL LIKELY KEEP SNOW IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AS WELL DURING THIS TIME...AND THIS SITUATION WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE WIND AND/OR WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS. THE CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL DECREASE OVERALL TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL ALSO MODERATE TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO NORMAL BY WEDNESDAY. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL THEN DEEPEN OVER THE PACIFIC COAST STATES WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...FOR AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SNOW AGAIN OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL MONTANA. HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO WARM TO NEAR/SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL THEN MOVE INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...BRINGING ANOTHER CANADIAN COLD FRONT INTO THE AREA WITH A CONTINUED CHANCE OF SNOW. TEMPERATURES EAST OF THE ROCKIES WILL FALL SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL AGAIN...WHILE TEMPERATURES REMAIN NEAR NORMAL ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA. COULSTON && .AVIATION... UPDATED 2355Z. EXPECT GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THERE COULD BE SOME SNOW SHOWERS NEAR THE IDAHO BORDER TONIGHT WITH A THREAT OF MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES. OTHERWISE EXPECT CLEAR SKIES TONIGHT. CEILINGS NEAR AND ABOVE 15000 FEET WILL SPREAD SOUTH OVER THE AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN WILL BE INCREASING SOUTHWEST WINDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR BLOWING SNOW. CONFIDENT THAT SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BUT CONFIDENCE IS SOMEWHAT LOW ON THE DETAILS OF THIS INCREASE. EXPECT AREAS OF VISIBILITIES BELOW 1 MILE IN BLOWING SNOW OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. IFR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW WILL SPREAD FARTHER EAST DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT KCTB WILL SEE AT LEAST OCCASIONAL MVFR/IFR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW SO HAVE ADDED THIS TO THE FORECAST. CONFIDENCE IS RATHER LOW THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN AT KGTF/KHVR/KLWT SO HAVE LEFT THIS CONDITION OUT OF THOSE PARTICULAR TAF FORECASTS. BLANK && .HYDROLOGY... ICE JAM FLOODING ON THE JEFFERSON RIVER CONTINUES NEAR SILVER STAR IN NORTHWEST MADISON COUNTY. FLOODING CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE JEFFERSON ACRES REGION...THUS THE FLOOD WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE FLOOD WATERS HAVE RECEDED. ADDITIONALLY...A SECOND ICE JAM HAS DEVELOPED UPSTREAM OF THE FIRST ICE JAM. SHOULD THIS NEW ICE JAM BREAK...IT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE THE ORIGINAL ICE JAM TO BREAK AS WELL...CREATING A FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL DOWNSTREAM. THUS A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A PORTION OF THE JEFFERSON RIVER FROM ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF SILVER STAR...TO WATERLOO. THE WATCH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING HAS CEASED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF -22 25 15 32 / 0 0 10 10 CTB -22 21 14 28 / 0 0 10 10 HLN -18 22 15 35 / 0 0 0 20 BZN -20 19 10 32 / 0 0 10 20 WEY -20 18 -7 18 / 40 10 10 30 DLN -16 24 10 30 / 0 0 10 10 HVR -28 19 11 26 / 0 10 10 20 LWT -22 23 12 31 / 0 0 10 20 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TO 8 PM MST SATURDAY BLAINE... CASCADE...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...CHOUTEAU... EASTERN PONDERA...EASTERN TETON...FERGUS...HILL...JUDITH BASIN... LIBERTY...TOOLE. WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM MST SATURDAY BLAINE...CASCADE...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK... CHOUTEAU...EASTERN GLACIER...EASTERN PONDERA...EASTERN TETON... FERGUS...HILL...JUDITH BASIN...LIBERTY...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...TOOLE. FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON MADISON. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TO 8 PM MST SATURDAY EASTERN GLACIER...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 545 PM MST FRI FEB 25 2011 MTZ015-261200- MADISON- 545 PM MST FRI FEB 25 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE JEFFERSON RIVER SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF SILVER STAR...DUE TO ICE JAM CONDITIONS. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE JEFFERSON RIVER FROM NORTH OF TWIN BRIDGES TO WATERLOO DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR ICE JAMS TO BREAK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT INCREASING CHANCES OF SNOW OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA BY MONDAY NIGHT...AND WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS COULD BE ISSUED LATER THIS WEEKEND OR EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. ADDITIONALLY...STRONG RIDGE TOP WINDS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY...AND HIGH WIND HIGHLIGHTS MAY ALSO BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-052>055-261200- BEAVERHEAD-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 545 PM MST FRI FEB 25 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER FOR TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT INCREASING CHANCES OF SNOW OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA BY MONDAY NIGHT...AND WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS COULD BE ISSUED LATER THIS WEEKEND OR EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. ADDITIONALLY...STRONG RIDGE TOP WINDS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY...AND HIGH WIND HIGHLIGHTS MAY ALSO BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ009>014-044>051-261200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE- CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- 545 PM MST FRI FEB 25 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FROM LATER TONIGHT THROUGH MID MORNING ON SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MID MORNING SATURDAY. A BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING UNTIL SATURDAY EVENING ACROSS ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE STRONG ENOUGH ON SATURDAY...THAT THE BLOWING SNOW COULD PRODUCE WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES ON SATURDAY. THUS...THIS SITUATION IS BEING MONITORED CLOSELY FOR POSSIBLE GROUND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. ANOTHER CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT INCREASING CHANCES OF SNOW OVER NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA BY MONDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES EARLY NEXT WEEK OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. THUS WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS COULD BE ISSUED LATER THIS WEEKEND OR EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. ADDITIONALLY...STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THUS HIGH WIND HIGHLIGHTS MAY ALSO BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AT TIMES THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. .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.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding occurred in low-lying areas on the north side of Fort Benton.
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, February 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: 370018.