Flooding in Montana, June 13, 2017

Name: Flooding in Montana, June 13, 2017
Start: 2017-06-13T10:00
End: 2017-06-13T22:00
Location: Montana

June 13, 2017 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A closed low pressure system brought widespread heavy precipitation amounts of 1-3 across portions of western Montana. The combination of heavy rain and continued high elevation snow melt caused rapid rises on small streams and creeks, especially around Georgetown Lake, Philipsburg, Drummond, and the Sapphire Mountains.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $80,000
Crop damage: $2,000
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 13, 2:53 AM MST, 7 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 13, 2:53 AM MST, 7 hours 7 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
353 AM MDT Tue Jun 13 2017

.DISCUSSION...Overall the forecast of widespread rainfall, with
embedded areas of moderate intensity, is panning out quite well.
The only locations which didn't receive nearly as much rain as we
were previously forecasting are in Central Idaho. Thus, it would
appear the coarser, large scale models ultimately handled the
early parts of this dynamic storm better than the higher
resolution models. We have adjusted today's forecast to follow
these favored models. Though, to be fair, all the models are in
pretty good agreement with regards to the rest of this larger
storm system.

Forecast semantics aside, we are starting to see steady increases
on some main stem rivers near areas where over an inch of rain
has already fallen. We expect these rises to continue as small
streams and/or creeks in the areas of west central and southwest
Montana run swift and high as a result of both already fallen rain
and additional rainfall today. Various Flood Watches and Areal
Flood Advisories are presently in effect and we invite you to
visit our website for additional details. Of note, some additional
flood highlights may be necessary along the Continental Divide
for late this afternoon and tonight if precipitation is ultimately
heavier than presently forecast.

The final factor to discuss is snow. The latest webcam imagery
from Gilmore Summit (7000 ft) and Lone Pine (6300 ft) in Lemhi
County, Idaho are showing light snow with temperatures across the
area residing in the low to mid 60s. Light snow will continue to
fall across Lemhi County and the higher terrain of SW Montana,
especially under heavier areas of precipitation, throughout the
morning hours. But the overall impact of this snowfall should
remain minimal and quite localized. So no Winter Weather
Advisories are planned at this time.

The system is still expected to exit the region by Wednesday
morning. We have introduced areas of fog to many of the valleys
which will have seen over an inch of precipitation through the
duration of this storm. But temperatures Wednesday are likely to
warm back to near normal, despite the chance for fog or stratus.

Thursday will be a transitory day as the next quick moving system
enters from the west for Friday. As it does so, winds across
western Montana, particularly along the Divide and into SW
Montana, will become quite gusty Friday afternoon and evening.
While this may prevent rain from reaching some valley locations
due to downsloping effects, such as the Missoula/Bitterroot
valleys and into the Butte/Blackfoot valleys, Friday will be
plagued by on and off showers for most of the region.

The good news is: the weekend into early next week looks dry and
warm, with plenty of sunshine to go around!

&&

.AVIATION...Steady rain will continue throughout much of today,
leading to frequently reduced visibility and variably lowered
ceilings at KSMN, KBTM and KMSO. The worst conditions will
obviously occur under the strongest or heaviest areas of
rainfall, during which visibility will frequently be reduced to as
low as 3SM. Precipitation will begin later this morning at KGPI
and gradually grow stronger throughout the day. However, impacts
to ceilings and visibility will be a bit more limited. Areas of
fog and some dense fog are likely to develop late tonight, given
the vast amounts of precipitation already measured and likely to
occur today. Visibility could become particularly low at KBTM,
KSMN and KMSO by dawn on Wednesday, June 14th.

&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Flood Watch through late tonight Butte/Blackfoot Region.

     Flood Watch through late tonight Bitterroot/Sapphire Mountains...
     Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.

ID...Flood Watch through late tonight Eastern Lemhi County...Western
     Lemhi County.

&&

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 13, 6:50 AM MST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
750 AM MDT TUE JUN 13 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0750 AM     HEAVY RAIN       1 S CLINTON             46.75N 113.71W
06/13/2017  M1.10 INCH       MISSOULA           MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            12 HOUR ACCUMULATION.

&&

GIBSON

Local storm report, Jun 13, 6:54 AM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
754 AM MDT TUE JUN 13 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0750 AM     HEAVY RAIN       20 SE HAMILTON          46.04N 113.86W
06/13/2017  M2.51 INCH       RAVALLI            MT   MESONET

            24 HOUR TOTAL. GIRD POINT RAWS 6950 FEET ELEVATION.

&&

GIBSON

Local storm report, Jun 13, 6:55 AM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
755 AM MDT TUE JUN 13 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0750 AM     HEAVY RAIN       PHILIPSBURG             46.33N 113.29W
06/13/2017  M2.67 INCH       GRANITE            MT   MESONET

            24 HOUR TOTAL. PHILIPSBURG RAWS. 5280 FEET.

&&

GIBSON

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Ravalli

When: June 13, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Ravalli County, 14.73 mi E of Hamilton Rvlli Co Ar to 5.12 mi E of Florence
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 46.231, -113.813

The heavy rain had widespread impacts in Ravalli county. RAWS sensors reported between 1 to 3 inches overnight from June 12 to June 13, with Gird Point RAWS receiving 3.67 inches over the 2-day event. Spotters reported water flowing over driveways and local roads near Stevensville, MT. Victor, MT fire department reported flooding at Middle Bear Creek. Water overwhelmed culverts and washed over roads east of Stevensville causing $15,000 of damage for the road department. Homeowners on the east side of the Bitterroot Valley reported damages to garages, driveways, and gardens, with many public roads seeing water over roads. Skalkaho Highway, MT-38, was closed June 13th due to water on roadways.

Flood, Granite

When: June 13, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Granite County, 12.34 mi W of Nimrod to 13.33 mi W of Philipsburg Arpt
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 46.721, -113.739

Granite county saw widespread impacts from the heavy rain. Philipsburg, MT received 3.28 inches of rain in 24 hours from noon 6/12 through noon 6/13. A public report from Georgetown Lake, MT had a measured 3.7 inches of rain over the 2-day event. Fred Burr Creek was particularly hard hit, with private driveway bridges being washed out, thus stranding a couple residents. Many of these same residents had basement flooding as well. USGS stream gauges on Boulder Creek near Maxville recorded 1410 cfs; 1000 cfs begins to cause road flooding issues, and this was much above this impact level. Rock Creek and Flint Creek both saw extremely rapid and high flows, with water spilling into adjacent fields. Georgetown Lake over-topped its spillway for the first time in years. Sapphire Mountain ditch managers narrowly avoided damage to a major irrigation channel feeding the Bitterroot Valley.

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, June 2017

Sources

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: 705322, 705329.