Montana, 2020Flood in Montana, March 31, 2020
March 31, 2020 · NWS GGW · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Recent snowmelt from northern Phillips County and central and northern Valley County contributed to many area creeks and streams running freely and feeding into the main-stem Milk River. For this last week of March, most of this river flooding along the Milk River was at Tampico.
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- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
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- Wind
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- 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.
Recent snowmelt from northern Phillips County and central and northern Valley County contributed to many area creeks and streams running freely and feeding into the main-stem Milk River. For this last week of March, most of this river flooding along the Milk River was at Tampico.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 1:06 PM MST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 1:06 PM MST, 3 hours 7 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
206 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2020
.DISCUSSION...
...Winter Storm will impact parts of NE Montana tonight and
Wednesday morning...
Complex winter storm will feature the secondary cold front moving
through the CWA tonight and Wednesday morning. Cold air behind
this front has nodes down the Canadian Rocky Mountain Front with
temperature this hour only in the teens over southern Alberta. A
closed upper low will continue drifting southeast and moisture and
energy to override this cold air, bringing moderate to possibly
heavy snow at times late tonight/Wednesday, especially for the
western zones. The combination of the wind and the snowfall over
the western zones looks to occur over the eastern zones
Wednesday, thus the Winter Weather Advisories have been extended
to the ND border for most zones. Snow amounts in the advisory zone
are expected to be 2 to 5 inches. Combined with the wind, it won't
be an April Fools joke for most.
Wednesday Night into Thursday morning, temps will plummet with
the wind to bring Windchills below zero for most, making it rough
for calving operations. Another system will bring snow to
southeast Montana and shouldn't be a big concern for our SE zones.
Conditions will gradually modify as dry conditions and
temperatures return to the 30s Friday, 40s Saturday. Normal high
and low temperature for Glasgow this time of year is in the low
50s and upper 20s. TFJ
&&
.AVIATION...
FLIGHT CAT: VFR this evening, MVFR-IFR late tonight and Wednesday.
A second cold front will be exiting this evening with another
round of mainly snow developing later tonight that gradually ends
from west to east Wednesday afternoon. Several inches can be
expected.
Winds will be NW then North tonight at 15 to 30 kts that continues
Wednesday. TFJ
&&
.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to noon MDT
Wednesday for Central and Southeast Phillips...Central and
Southern Valley...Garfield...Petroleum.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to noon MDT
Wednesday for Southwest Phillips.
Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 PM MDT
Wednesday for Dawson...Eastern Roosevelt...McCone...Prairie...
Richland...Sheridan...Western Roosevelt.
&&
weather.gov/glasgow
Flood, Valley
- When
- March 31, 4:13 PM MST to 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, 1.8 mi NNW of Tampico to 2.47 mi NW of Tampico
- Cause
- Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 48.323, -106.837
The Milk River at Tampico gauge (TMPM8) had been transmitting erroneous data for the previous week or so due to issues with the gage. On March 31st it began recording the correct river level again after being alerted to the issue by local DES, and repairs made by USGS. With the flood stage set at 23.0 feet, the gauge immediately showed the river at 23.4 feet at 4:13 PM MST. Through the rest of the day to end the month of March, the river had risen to a level of 23.5 feet. This flooding continued into the first few days of April.
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 31, 2020EF2 · 22 events
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, March 31, 2020$549,000 · 70 kt wind · 14 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, March 31, 20201 injured · $59,000 · EF1 · 9 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, March 31, 2020$54,000 · EF1 · 11 events
- Flood in North Dakota, March 31, 2020$250,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 31, 2020$41,000 · 52 kt wind · 11 events
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 31, 2020EF1 · 3 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, March 31, 2020$1,000 · EF0 · 13 events
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 31, 202070 kt wind · 11 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, March 31, 20208 events
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 31, 2020$2,000 · 55 kt wind · 7 events
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, March 31, 202050 kt wind · 7 events
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: 881405.