Ice jamming on the Madison River flooded Highway 287 from the town of Ennis to Odell Creek.
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 TFX wrote it up.
Ice jamming on the Madison River flooded Highway 287 from the town of Ennis to Odell Creek.
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 Jan 11, 4:40 AM MST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 440 AM MST TUE JAN 11 2011 UPDATED AVIATION SECTION .DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WARMER AIR WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO THE REGION TUESDAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES MOVING BACK TOWARDS THE TEENS. WARM WEST- SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF THE NEXT PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO APPROACH 30 DEGREES IN SOME SOUTHWEST MONTANA LOCATIONS ON WEDNESDAY. WITH INCREASING MOISTURE STARTING MIDDLE OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY...HAVE KEPT HIGH POPS ALONG THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR PRECIP CONTINUE TO BE ALONG THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WHERE SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATING SNOW IS LIKELY. WITH THESE CONDITIONS DEVELOPING AMONGST MOST OF THE MODEL OUTPUT...A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR BOTH THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND LEWIS AND CLARK ZONES. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A STRONG PUSH OF MOISTURE FROM THE WEST ALLOWING 12 HOUR SNOWFALL TOTALS THURSDAY TO REACH OVER A FOOT IN THESE LOCATIONS. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THURSDAY WITH MOST OF THE PLAINS LIKELY SEEING ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES DEPENDING ON LOCATION. THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...A RATHER COMPLEX AND UNSETTLED PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THE FLOW ALOFT WILL REMAIN GENERALLY WEST-NORTHWEST WITH PACIFIC MOISTURE CONTINUING TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BRINGING PERIODS OF SNOW. SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING WITHIN THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING THE BEST CHANCE OF SNOW SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY ACROSS MOST OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA. WARMER TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY WILL BRING RAIN AND POSSIBLY AREAS OF FREEZING RAIN TO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. COLDER AIR MOVES BACK OVER THE AREA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THOUGH THE MODELS EXHIBIT SOME DISAGREEMENT ON HOW FAR SOUTH AND WEST THE COLDER AIR WILL SLIDE. AS THE UPPER RIDGE AMPLIFIES ALONG THE WEST COAST TO START NEXT WEEK...NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA WILL BRING A LITTLE DRIER AIR AND SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPERATURES. AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL BE NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES ON FRIDAY BEFORE DROPPING BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1140Z. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE WILL PROVIDE DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS TODAY ACROSS THE AREA. SURFACE WINDS WILL BE LIGHT. PATCHY FREEZING FOG IS POSSIBLE AT KHVR THROUGH EARLY MORNING. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL WITH ISOLATED MVFR IN AREAS WHERE FOG HAS FORMED. && .HYDROLOGY... FLOODING HAS OCCURRED ALONG THE MADISON RIVER NEAR ENNIS IN MADISON COUNTY AND HAS AFFECTED PARTS OF HIGHWAY 287. THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE BANK-FULL AND THUS THE FLOOD WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE SITUATION. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 9 2 25 16 / 0 0 20 20 CTB 7 -4 18 9 / 0 10 30 30 HLN 9 5 28 19 / 0 10 50 40 BZN 9 4 27 15 / 0 10 40 40 WEY 11 -6 20 13 / 0 10 60 60 DLN 10 6 27 20 / 0 10 50 50 HVR -2 -15 10 -1 / 0 0 20 50 LWT 8 -2 16 14 / 0 0 20 40 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MADISON RIVER NEAR ENNIS IS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. && SHORT TERM...GUSTAFSON LONG TERM...EMANUEL AVIATION...EMANUEL WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 410 AM MST TUE JAN 11 2011 MTZ009-014-048-121115- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 410 AM MST TUE JAN 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT BEGINNING MID WEDNESDAY MORNING. A COMPLEX STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. FORECAST MODELS ARE INDICATING AREAS OF PROLONGED HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPING OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ015-121115- MADISON- 410 AM MST TUE JAN 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MADISON RIVER NEAR ENNIS REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A COMPLEX STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. FORECAST MODELS ARE INDICATING THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPING OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL MONTANA. THE EXACT LOCATION AND INTENSITY OF SNOWFALL IS STILL UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-010>013-044>047-049>055-121115- BEAVERHEAD-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 410 AM MST TUE JAN 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A COMPLEX STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. FORECAST MODELS ARE INDICATING THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPING OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL MONTANA. THE EXACT LOCATION AND INTENSITY OF SNOWFALL IS STILL UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. .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.
Highway 287 was closed to through traffic due to flooding of the roadway. Highway 287 was under one to two feet of water.
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, January 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: 370022.