Warm temperatures and melting snow caused several road closures in the area.
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.
Warm temperatures and melting snow caused several road closures in the area.
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 Mar 14, 2:00 PM MST, 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 300 PM MDT MON MAR 14 2011 .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...CURRENT PROGRESSIVE PATTERN IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE. A WEAK UPPER RIDGE WILL DEVELOP LATER TONIGHT AND EXPECT MAINLY MOUNTAIN SHOWERS TO DIMINISH OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER A WEAK DISTURBANCE ALOFT COULD KEEP SOME SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT LATE TONIGHT. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE FROM THE WEST TUESDAY AHEAD OF A SERIES OF WEATHER DISTURBANCES ALOFT THAT WILL AFFECT THE AREA MAINLY TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. WILL ALSO GET SOME ADDED LIFT FROM A NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST ORIENTED COLD FRONT THAT WILL GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT BUT WILL LINGER OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA INTO WEDNESDAY. MODELS INDICATE QUITE A BIT OF MOISTURE OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA AND THE MOUNTAINS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SO WILL CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION. FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AM NOT SEEING ENOUGH SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS TO JUSTIFY A HIGHLIGHT. LOWER VALLEYS MIGHT BE WARM ENOUGH TO PREVENT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SNOW ACCUMULATION. DOWNSLOPE WILL SOMEWHAT LIMIT CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE PLAINS. A FEW LOCATIONS ARE STILL REPORTING HIGH WINDS AS OF MID- AFTERNOON SO WILL CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH WIND WARNING. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...A GRADUAL AMPLIFICATION OF THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN IS EXPECTED LATE THIS WEEK THROUGH THIS WEEKEND AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BECOMES ESTABLISHED ALONG THE WEST COAST. SOMEWHAT MOIST SW FLOW ALOFT WITH WEAK EMBEDDED ENERGY WILL BRING MAINLY MTN SHOWERS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WITH RIDGING DEVELOPING BY FRIDAY OVER THE REGION IN RESPONSE TO THE TROUGH AMPLIFICATION UPSTREAM ALONG THE WEST COAST. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS APPEAR TO BE COMING INTO SOMEWHAT BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE DETAILS THIS WEEKEND...INDICATING A PORTION OF THE TROUGH CLOSING OFF AND DROPPING SOUTH ALONG THE COAST WHILE ANOTHER LOBE OF ENERGY EJECTS OUT AND ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND MT DURING THE LATE SATURDAY/SUNDAY TIME PERIOD BEFORE THE ENTIRE TROUGH BROADENS AND SHIFTS INLAND SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. A TRANSITION TO A COOLER AND WETTER REGIME IS FAIRLY CERTAIN WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA LOOKING TO BE LATE SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...HOWEVER TIMING DIFFERENCES STILL EXIST AMONG THE MODELS. TEMPERATURES BEGIN AT SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL NORMS AND GRADUALLY COOL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHES THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. COLD AIR DOES APPEAR SOMEWHAT LIMITED AT THIS TIME... HOWEVER SNOW LEVELS LOOK TO LOWER TO NEAR THE VALLEY FLOORS AND PLAINS BY SATURDAY NIGHT. HOENISCH && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1800Z TAFS. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD ALONG WITH AREAS OF STRONG WINDS TODAY. EXPECT HIGH WINDS AT KCTB TODAY...CAN NOT RULE OUT GUSTS OVER 50 KTS DURING THE AFTERNOON. KHVR...KGTF...AND KLWT WILL ALSO BE IMPACTED BY STRONG WINDS WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KTS. A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS COULD CREATE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AT KHLN THIS AFTERNOON. AFTER 01Z WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE IN SPEED AND SKIES CLEAR. MID LEVEL CLOUDS WILL SPREAD INTO THE REGION TOMORROW MORNING. LANGLIEB && .HYDROLOGY... WARM TEMPERATURES OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT SNOWMELT ACROSS THE AREA. AREAS OF RURAL FLOODING HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. MODERATE TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDWEEK WITH HIGHS AND LOWS GENERALLY ABOVE NORMAL. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 29 54 35 46 / 10 10 30 30 CTB 28 47 33 41 / 10 10 30 20 HLN 29 56 36 48 / 20 20 70 50 BZN 28 53 33 47 / 20 10 70 60 WEY 19 38 27 35 / 60 60 100 100 DLN 28 51 35 45 / 20 30 80 50 HVR 24 40 28 41 / 10 10 30 20 LWT 31 51 36 46 / 10 10 30 40 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT EASTERN GLACIER... NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT... TOOLE. SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNINGS FOR SELECTED AREAS OF CASCADE AND PONDERA AND TETON AND CHOUTEAU COUNTIES CONTINUE IN EFFECT. && SHORT TERM...BLANK LONG TERM...COULSTON AVIATION...COULSTON WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 254 PM MDT MON MAR 14 2011 MTZ009-010-012-013-044-046-048-049-151400- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- TOOLE-EASTERN PONDERA-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON- 254 PM MDT MON MAR 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...AS WELL AS TOOLE AND EASTERN GLACIER COUNTIES...THROUGH MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT. A FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL STREAMS IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF PONDERA...TETON...CASCADE...AND CHOUTEAU COUNTIES THROUGH EARLY THIS WEEK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER REPORTS AND IMPACTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN GREAT FALLS. MTZ008-011-014-015-045-047-050>055-151400- BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON- LIBERTY-BLAINE-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER- GALLATIN- 254 PM MDT MON MAR 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1233 PM MDT MON MAR 14 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0440 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 NNE MCALLISTER 45.50N 111.70W
03/14/2011 M52 MPH MADISON MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
52 MPH WAS THE PEAK WIND GUST AT NORRIS HILL MT DOT
SITE OVERNIGHT.
1041 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW CUT BANK 48.61N 112.38W
03/14/2011 M60 MPH GLACIER MT ASOS
60 MPH WIND GUST RECORDED AT CUT BANK ASOS AT 1041 AM
MDT. ANOTHER HIGH WIND GUST OF 61 MPH OCCURRED AT 1127
AM MDT.
1156 AM HIGH SUST WINDS 3 SW CUT BANK 48.61N 112.38W
03/14/2011 M42 MPH GLACIER MT ASOS
SUSTAINED WINDS OF BETWEEN 40 AND 42 MPH WERE RECORDED
AT CUT BANK ASOS BETWEEN 1056 AM MDT AND 1156 AM MDT.
&&
COULSTONThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several area roads were closed due to flooding on the Missouri, Marias and Teton rivers across the county.
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, March 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: 370031.