Warm weather combined with recent rainfall caused the Clark Fork River to flood portions of the Orchard Homes area in Missoula.
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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 MSO wrote it up.
Warm weather combined with recent rainfall caused the Clark Fork River to flood portions of the Orchard Homes area in Missoula.
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 May 27, 2:15 AM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Missoula MT 315 AM MDT Thu May 27 2021 .DISCUSSION...Partly cloudy, warm, and dry is expected today but our next cold front is just off the west coast currently. By afternoon, breezy southerly winds will develop, then the cold front is expected to pass before midnight through western Montana. There could be enough warming during the afternoon for a few thunderstorms to develop along the cold front. If thunderstorms do develop, nothing more than erratic, gusty winds is likely. Mainly mountain showers remain on Friday, but leftover clouds will keep it slightly cooler. That said, a general warmup combined with drying conditions is forecast through at least mid week next week. In fact, temperatures could be in the mid 80s for western Montana and near 100F for lowest elevations of Idaho by mid-week. && .AVIATION...Patchy fog or stratus is possible to start the day, lifting by 27/1400 in areas where it does develop. Breezy southwest winds gusting to 20 mph for many locations this afternoon. A cold front moves through our area this evening bringing showers and an isolated thunderstorm along the boundary. Then showers on Friday typically will remain in the mountains. && .MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MT...None. ID...None. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water from the Clark Fork River flooded the north end of Tower Street and also Kehrwald Drive. The peak gage height occurred at 2230 PM May 28 and was 7.98 ft.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, May 2021
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: 957998.