Flooding continued on the Yellowstone River due mainly to ice jams.
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.
Flooding continued on the Yellowstone River due mainly to ice jams.
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 Mar 19, 8:57 AM MST, 3 hours 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 957 AM MDT SAT MAR 19 2011 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TODAY... UPPER LOW CENTER IS ALONG THE OR COAST...WITH SW UPPER FLOW STARTING TO BACK OVER OUR AREA. 12Z KGGW SOUNDING SHOWING STRONG SURFACE INVERSION ABOUT 900 FT DEEP NOT CHANGING MUCH...BUT 5-7C WARMING PAST 24 HOURS AT ALL LEVELS ABOVE THE INVERSION. THIS LAYER ALOFT IS SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE...BUT QUITE DRY. MODELS DEVELOP A SURFACE LOW OVER W MT AND MOVE IT E AND STRENGTHEN IT THIS AFTERNOON. UPPER SUPPORT INCREASES TOO WITH INCREASING LIFT...POSITIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION...AND MOISTURE. THE INVERSION STAYS IN PLACE DUE TO STRENGTHENING PRESSURE GRADIENTS ORIENTED TO KEEP DRIVING COOL AIR IN FROM THE E. COULD SEE JUST A VERY FEW SHOWERS OR LIGHT RAIN DEVELOP LATE IN THE AFTERNOON....ANY THUNDER JUST A VERY OUTSIDE POSSIBILITY. NO UPDATES. SIMONSEN PREVIOUS SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY...AN UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO SLIDE DOWN THE PACIFIC COAST FORCING SOUTHWEST PACIFIC FLOW OVER THE STATE OF MONTANA. A SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER BELIEVE IT OR NOT THUNDER IS POSSIBILITY AS THE WAVE PASSES THROUGH. JUST ENOUGH DESTABILIZATION WILL ALLOW FOR CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. NORTH OF THE RIVER THE SURFACE COLD POOL DUE TO SIGNIFICANT SNOW COVER WILL LIMIT THE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL. TONIGHT THE SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH AND BY SUNDAY MORNING THE CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IS QUITE LOW. HIGH PROBABILITY OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION OVERNIGHT WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS REMAINING UNDER A TENTH OF AN INCH. MONDAY RIDGING WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA AS THE PACIFIC SYSTEM FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD MOVES TOWARD THE REGION. THE MAIN IMPACT ON MONDAY WILL BE THE EAST WINDS INCREASING AHEAD OF THE STORM SYSTEM. PROTON .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... FORECAST PERIOD BEGINS MONDAY NIGHT WITH THE ARRIVAL OF A SIGNIFICANT LATE WINTER EARLY SPRING STORM SYSTEM. THE STRONG UPPER...LOW WHICH WILL HAVE BEEN SPINNING OF THE WEST COAST...WILL QUICKLY MOVE EASTWARD AND NORTHEASTWARD DIRECTLY OVER OUR CWA. EXTENDED MODEL SOLUTIONS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH HEAVY QPF OVER CERTAIN PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. FELT JUSTIFIED IN INCREASING POPS TO LIKELY FOR MOST LOCATIONS AND CATEGORICAL FOR LOCATIONS WHERE THE BEST MODEL AGREEMENT WAS EVIDENT. AT THIS TIME...GREATEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS LOOK TO BE ORIENTED IN AN ARCING SHAPE OVER OUR CWA WITH OUR SOUTH CENTRAL ZONES RECEIVING VERY LITTLE. LATEST GUIDANCE FROM THE HPC WINTER WEATHER DESK HAS BEGUN TO FALL INTO THIS KIND OF ORIENTATION AS WELL. BEGINNING TUESDAY MORNING LIQUID PRECIPITATION EXCEEDING A THIRD OF AN INCH PER SIX HOURS IS DEPICTED IN THE MODEL SOLUTIONS...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF OUR WESTERN ZONES AND THE ENTIRE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF OUR CWA THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. TRIED TO SHOW INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN THIS FORECAST BY INCREASING QPF AMOUNTS AND PRECIP CATEGORIES. EVEN WITH A VERY MODEST AND CONSERVATIVE ADJUSTMENT UPWARD...CURRENT THINKING AND ROUGH FIRST ESTIMATES WOULD INDICATE THAT 4 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE FAVORED AREAS. CONTINUED MODEL AGREEMENT AND HIGHER QPF DEPICTIONS WILL REQUIRE EVER INCREASING ATTENTION AND EVEN A LESS CONSERVATIVE AMOUNT OF SNOW ACCUMULATION. EASTERLY WINDS OF AT LEAST 20 TO 30 MPH WILL LIKELY CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...CONTRIBUTING TO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS FOR TRAVELLING ALONG AREA ROADWAYS. AFTER THIS STORMS IMPACT HAS BEEN FELT...A TRAILING AND LINGERING BAND OF PRECIPITATION WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY IN A NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ORIENTED FASHION. EFFECTS SHOULD BE MINIMAL. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL DRAW IN COLDER ARCTIC AIR BEHIND THE STORM AND WILL DROP TEMPERATURES 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. EXTENDED MODELS INDICATE THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER SPRING STORM SYSTEM IMPACTING NORTHEAST MONTANA NEXT SATURDAY. GIVEN THE HIGH VARIABILITY OF MODEL SOLUTIONS THIS FAR INTO THE EXTENDED PERIOD...CONFIDENCE DOES NOT LEND ITSELF TO MORE THAN A SLIGHT CHANCE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. BMICKELSON && .AVIATION... EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGHOUT MOST OF TODAY FOR ALL TAF SITES. RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER NORTH LATE TODAY INTO OVERNIGHT WHICH MAY REDUCE FLIGHT CATEGORIES TO MVFR...BUT DO NOT EXPECT MUCH MORE OF AN EFFECT THAN THAT AT THIS TIME. BMICKELSON/RAE && .HYDROLOGY... COOLER TEMPERATURES TODAY HAVE SLOWED THE THAW..ALLOWING SMALL STREAMS TO RECEDE A BIT. LARGE ICE JAMS...HOWEVER...CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER NORTH OF HIGHWAY 200 AND THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER FROM TERRY TO SYDNEY. DESPITE THE SLOWING OF THE THAW...MANY SMALL STREAMS HAVE STILL BEEN REPORTED TO BE FLOODING. ALSO...THE MILK RIVER AT DODSON CONTINUES TO RISE AND IS NEARLY 3 FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. A LARGE ICE JAM NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER HAS PUSHED DOWNSTREAM AND WATER ON THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER HAS DROPPED ALMOST 8 FEET...HOWEVER WATER OVER THE 79 TRAIL CONTINUES TO CUT OFF A SUBDIVISION. FOUR OTHER ICE JAMS ON THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER ARE IN MUCH THE SAME POSITION AS YESTERDAY AND CONTINUE TO CAUSE LOW LAND FLOODING. THE ICE JAM BETWEEN TERRY AND FALLON IS OVER 9 MILES LONG. THREE OTHER ICE JAMS ARE LOCATED FROM NORTHEAST OF GLENDIVE TO NORTHEAST OF SIDNEY. THESE ICE JAMS HAVE BEEN MOSTLY STABLE. WATER LEVELS NEAR THE SIDNEY GAUGE HAVE BEEN FLUCTUATING UP AND DOWN...HOWEVER OVERNIGHT IT HAS STEADILY INCREASED AND IS 0.25 FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THE MILK RIVER GAUGE AT DODSON HAD BEEN STEADY OR SLIGHTLY INCREASING...THE GAUGE READING SHOWS THE RIVER NEARLY 3 FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. STATIONS DOWNSTREAM OF DODSON HAVE BEEN SHOWING SOME RISE AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO RISE AS HIGH WATER FROM DODSON MAKES ITS WAY DOWN STREAM. AES && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 318 AM MDT SAT MAR 19 2011 MTZ016>027-059>062-200930- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 318 AM MDT SAT MAR 19 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WARM TEMPERATURES THIS WEEK CONTINUE THE SNOW MELT ACROSS ALL OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. ICE JAMS REMAIN A HAZARD ON THE MUSSELSHELL AND YELLOWSTONE RIVERS CAUSING FLOODING. LOCAL STREAMS AND DRAINAGES CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH WATER AT OR ABOVE BANK FULL LEVELS WEST OF GLASGOW AND SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. THIS WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND AS TEMPERATURES REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A THREAT OF A MAJOR SPRING SNOW EVENT OCCURRING ACROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA WILL START MONDAY NIGHT AND LAST THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE WITH CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AS THIS STORM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. .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.
Small creeks, streams and the Yellowstone River are flooding surrounding fields and low lying areas.
Small creeks, streams and the Yellowstone River are flooding surrounding fields and low lying areas.
Small creeks, streams and the Yellowstone River are flooding surrounding fields and low lying areas.
Small creeks and streams that feed the Yellowstone are flooding surrounding fields and low lying areas.
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: 288695, 288696, 288697, 294952.