Montana, 2018

Flood in Montana, April 29 to 30, 2018

April 29 to 30, 2018 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Significant runoff from periods of rain and melting of a deep mountain snowpack allowed flooding to begin in the Lincoln area on April 29th and persist into May. Floodwaters finally receded on May 27th.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 TFX wrote it up.

Significant runoff from periods of rain and melting of a deep mountain snowpack allowed flooding to begin in the Lincoln area on April 29th and persist into May. Floodwaters finally receded on May 27th.

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 29, 1:50 PM MST, 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 29, 1:50 PM MST, 58 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 29, 1:12 PM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
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    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Lewis and Clark

When
April 29, 2:48 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Lewis and Clark County, 2.61 mi WNW of Lincoln to 2.2 mi W of Lincoln Arpt
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
46.961, -112.723

Lincoln Volunteer Fire Chief relayed multiple reports of flooding in and around Lincoln on April 29th and 30th.

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2018

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: 763412.