Flooding occurred on the Yellowstone River that had two crests. This event is the second crest.
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 occurred on the Yellowstone River that had two crests. This event is the second crest.
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 May 28, 7:43 PM MST, 7 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 843 PM MDT SAT MAY 28 2011 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... ...SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM FOR SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT... UPDATE...A FEW INSTABILITY SHOWERS LINGER AS THE SUN SETS THIS EVENING. WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR NOW. WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED TO LESS THAN 15 MPH. ALLOWED LAKE WIND ADVISORY TO EXPIRE. ADJUSTED WINDS IN UPDATE AND DECREASED SKY COVER MAINLY OVER VALLEY COUNTY WHICH HAS HAD SOME CLEARING THIS EVENING. REST OF FORECAST IS ON TRACK. FORRESTER PREVIOUS SHORT TERM... INSTABILITY DRIVEN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDER LATE THIS AFTERNOON WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND WEAKENING LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. MEANWHILE A DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH/LOW WILL BE MOVING INTO THE GREAT BASIN ENROUTE TO A PATH LIKELY OVER MONTANA ON MONDAY. SURFACE CYCLONGENESIS IS EXPECTED OVER THE COLORADO PLAINS SUNDAY...THEN A DEEPENING SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACING NORTH THROUGH THE DAKOTAS MONDAY. THIS IS A VERY DYNAMIC SYSTEM THAT WILL PULL HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER FROM THE GULF ALL THE WAY INTO OUR AREA. STRONG FORCING AND DEFORMATION ZONE WILL SET UP OVER EASTERN MONTANA TO PRODUCE ONE TO TWO THIRDS OF AN INCH OF RAIN PER 6 HOUR PERIOD LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...AND TOTALS THROUGH MONDAY IN THE ONE TO TWO INCH RANGE WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. THIS DOES NOT COUNT WHAT WILL FALL MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS ADDRESSED BELOW. THE CURRENT FLOOD WATCH WILL BE KEPT IN PLACE. THE OTHER STORY WILL BE THE STRONG WINDS. A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT DEVELOPS MONDAY AND EXPECT EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS TO INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH. MOYER .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... THE STRONG CLOSED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE MOVING NE OUT OF THE AREA...ENDING MOST PRECIP BY TUE MORN. HAVE SLOWED THIS DOWN A LITTLE...SO KEEPING POPS VERY HIGH MONDAY NIGHT. MODELS HAVE BEEN SHOWING 850 MB TEMPS THAT VARY FROM AS COLD AS -1...TO 3C TUE MORN IN STRONG NW FLOW. SOME HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN OUR AREA COULD TURN TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING...HOWEVER THIS IS JUST AN OUTSIDE CHANCE AT THIS POINT...SO WILL LEAVE OUT OF THE FORECAST. HAVE LOWERED TUE/TUE NIGHT TEMPS THOUGH. A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE PATTERN THEN TAKES PLACE. A CLOSED LOW ALOFT STALLS AND DIGS S ALONG THE W COAST...WHILE A STRONG CLOSED UPPER HIGH DEVELOPS OVER THE N PLAINS. THIS PUTS NE MT INTO A SW FLOW ALOFT...WHICH BRINGS WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER TO NE MT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. THIS WILL BRING SEVERAL DAYS WITH HIGHS AT LEAST INTO THE 70S. THE AIRMASS WILL BECOME MORE UNSTABLE AS WELL...AND WOULD EXPECT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS PATTERN. THE BETTER THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS APPEAR TO BE WITH A SURFACE COLD FRONT FROM THE W THAT IS NOT VERY DISTINCT THOUGH...THAT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THU NIGHT. GFS FORECAST SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWING AN EXCELLENT STRONG SHEAR PROFILE AND VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WITH CAPE TO 3000 J/KG FOR SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL. OUTSIDE OF THIS THOUGH...NOTHING CLEAR- CUT...SO KEEPING POPS MAINLY AROUND 10 PERCENT OR SO...BELOW THE ISOLATED/SLIGHT CHANCE CATEGORY MOST PERIODS...WHICH WON'T SHOW IN WORDED PRODUCTS. SIMONSEN PREVIOUS LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD BEGINS WITH THE HEAVY RAIN EVENT EXITING NORTHEAST MONTANA TO THE NORTHEAST. STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGING QUICKLY TAKES OVER AND BUILDS INTO THE REGION. WITH ANOTHER UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SETTING UP OVER THE ENTIRE WESTERN CONUS AND A STRONG AXIS OF INSTABILITY OUT AHEAD OF IT STREAMING INTO EASTERN MONTANA...THE STAGE WILL BE SET FOR THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF THEM POSSIBLY SEVERE THROUGH MOST OF THE LATTER PORTION OF NEXT WEEK. TRIED TO PUT JUST A LITTLE MORE DETAIL AND VARIATION TO THE POPS AND SKY COVER GRIDS TO SHOW THIS EXPECTED CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WILL BRING CLEARING SKIES AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THE AXIS OF ENHANCED INSTABILITY WILL SLICE THROUGH OUR CWA FROM SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST AND PERSIST EACH MID DAY AND AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT AS IT SLOWLY TRANSLATES NORTHEASTWARD EACH SUCCESSIVE DAY. THIS SET UP COULD RESULT IN OUR FIRST EPISODE OF MULTIPLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL THEN MOVE AWAY EAST OF OUR AREA FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY OF NEXT WEEK ALLOWING CALM WEATHER AND WARMER TEMPERATURES TO RETURN. BMICKELSON. && .AVIATION... SOUNDINGS SHOW A BIT OF INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON FOR CONTINUED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDER AT THE KGDV TERMINAL. HAVE HANDLED THAT WITH VCSH AND CB MENTION FOR NOW WHICH COULD PRODUCE TEMPORARY MVFR CONDITIONS AT THE KGDV TERMINAL. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIGHT THIS EVENING AND VEER TO THE NORTHEAST OVERNIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING AT ALL TERMINALS THIS EVENING. RSMITH && .HYDROLOGY... THE MILK RIVER FROM TAMPICO TO NASHUA CONTINUES TO BE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE WITH LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED THROUGH THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINS BETWEEN SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY NIGHT THOUGH WILL BRING AT LEAST ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN TO MOST LOCATIONS. THIS WOULD PUT OR KEEP THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE MILK RIVER IN NE MT...THAT IS DODSON TO NASHUA...ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. SOME PLACES WILL BE BACK IN THE SEVERE FLOODING CATEGORY...INCLUDING GLASGOW. THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER IS STILL WELL ABOVE FLOOD STAGE...AND WILL REMAIN SO FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH ONLY A SLOW FALL. FOLLOWING THE END OF THIS NEXT HEAVY RAIN MONDAY NIGHT...WARMER...AND THEN WARMER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. SIMONSEN && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT FOR 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. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 324 AM MDT SUN MAY 29 2011 MTZ016>027-059>062-300930- 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- 324 AM MDT SUN MAY 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE MILK RIVER FROM TAMPICO DOWNSTREAM TO THE CONFLUENCE WITH THE MISSOURI RIVER NEAR NASHUA. A FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER DRAINAGE AREA INCLUDING THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER. A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER AT GLENDIVE. PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THE FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...FOR ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AND RESULTANT FLOODING. RAINFALL RUNOFF WILL ONLY WORSEN ALREADY HIGH WATER LEVELS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES AND LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL CAUSE AREA CREEKS TO POTENTIALLY FLOW OUT OF THEIR BANKS. IT WILL TAKE A BIT OF TIME TO REACH INTO THE MILK...MISSOURI AND YELLOWSTONE RIVERS AND THAT FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AND POSSIBLY WORSEN BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. IN ADDITION...STRONG EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS MONDAY 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH WILL TRANSITION TO NORTHWEST BY TUESDAY. .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.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The river gauge reading at Glendive on the Yellowstone River crested at 53.71 feet on May 29rd. Flood stage is 53.5 feet.
The river gauge reading at Sidney on the Yellowstone River crested at 19.19 feet on May 30th. Flood stage is 19 feet.
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, May 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: 321254, 321255.