Montana, 2019

Flood in Montana, March 29, 2019

March 29, 2019 · NWS GGW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The recent spring season thaw allowed ice along the Missouri River to break up. An ice jam which formed between Wolf Point and Poplar briefly rose the river level above flood stage near Wolf Point.

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 GGW wrote it up.

The recent spring season thaw allowed ice along the Missouri River to break up. An ice jam which formed between Wolf Point and Poplar briefly rose the river level above flood stage near Wolf Point.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Roosevelt

When
March 29, 4:12 PM MST to 7:20 PM MST
Where
Roosevelt County, 1.98 mi SSE of Wolf Pt Intl Airport(Kolf) to 2.35 mi S of Wolf Pt Intl Airport(Kolf)
Cause
Ice Jam
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
48.075, -105.549

During the afternoon of March 29th, at the Wolf Point river forecast point (WPTM8) along the Missouri River, an ice jam caused the river level to briefly rise above the flood stage of 23.0 feet at 4:12 PM MST. The river crested at 23.71 feet at 4:44 PM MST on the 29th. As the ice jam cleared, the river temporarily fell back down below flood stage for just a few minutes before rising above flood stage again. Finally, the river fell below flood stage to end this event at 7:20 PM MST on the 29th.

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 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2019

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 815453.