Flash Flood in Montana
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Montana, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in Montana.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 476
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- $19 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, June 20 to 21, 2010Meteorologically speaking, this was a very active severe weather day for south central Montana. A very moist and unstable atmosphere was in place across portions of the Billings Forecast area during the afternoon and evening of the 20th (Father's Day).
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Montana, June 16 to 17, 2010A strong system ejecting out of the central Rockies brought heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms to the area during the evening. This episode produced an EF1 tornado in northern McCone county and a microburst in eastern Roosevelt county that killed one person near Froid, MT.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, June 16 to 17, 2007During the late afternoon and evening of June 16, 2007, a high precipitation supercell thunderstorm tracked from across northern Montana, just to the north of a warm front.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Montana, June 21 to 22, 2010Severe weather continued into the third week of June across the Billings Forecast Area. |Plenty of low-level moisture continued to be in place across Southeast Montana.
- Flash Flooding in Montana, May 24, 2011A slow moving area of thunderstorms produced heavy rain over Western Big Horn and South Central Yellowstone Counties.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998Several spotters and amateur radio operators reported funnel clouds in and around Laurel.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998Large hail destroyed a wheat field.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Montana, August 14, 2009Severe thunderstorms moved east across areas mostly south of the Missouri River. The greatest damage occurred in Garfield County.
- Flash Flood in Montana, November 5 to 7, 2006Unprecidented heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding in Glacier National Park. Going to the Sun Road was washed out in several areas with several bridges washing out as well. Many Glacier Hotel was flooded. The Associated Press reported $7 million in damages.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, June 20 to 21, 2005Large hail caused damage to a vehicle
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Montana, June 28, 2018During the late afternoon and evening hours on June 28th, severe weather broke out across much of the Billings Forecast Area.
- Flash Flood and Wildfire in Montana, August 1, 2021Monsoonal subtropical moisture set the stage for thunderstorms to produce heavy rainfall across southwest Montana. North of this moisture plume, the Boulder 2700 fire burned down structures near Montana Highway 35 along the southeastern shore of Flathead Lake.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Montana, June 16 to 17, 2010The first major severe weather episode occurred on the afternoon and evening of the 16th as a moist and unstable atmosphere was in place across the Billings Forecast Area.|Low-level moisture combined with a southwest flow aloft and strong jet stream provided the necessary…
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, July 11, 2004A strong cold front crossed eastern Montana during the evening hours of the 11th, and produced widespread severe weather across all 12 counties in northeast Montana. There were numerous reports of wind gusts of 60 to 85 mph and hail in excess of 2 inches in diameter.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, June 6 to 7, 2005Damaging thunderstorm winds blew over a pivot sprinkler. The strong wind destoyed one machine shed. There were multiple reports of structural damage to occupied and unoccupied structures. A couple of cars were damaged from fallen tree limbs.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 1 to 23, 1997Six inches of rain in less than 4 hours caused flash flooding. The town of Terry was inundated. Both Terry and Fallon reported extensive street flooding. A section of Interstate 90 by Terry had water running across it. Several washouts were reported on gravel county roads.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Montana, July 7, 2004Law enforcement reported flash flooding along BIA Route one near Calais Hill 4 miles west of Fort Kipp.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, July 2 to 6, 2022Low pressure along the west coast spread deeper moisture increasing the chances for showers and thunderstorms across the region through Independence Day.
- Flash Flood in Montana, June 2, 2023A very moist, easterly surface flow was in place across the Billings area. An area of moderate to heavy rain, with an occasional embedded thunderstorm, positioned itself over western Yellowstone County during the evening hours of the 2nd.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Montana, June 6 to 29, 1997Five inches of rain falling in less than 3 hours caused flash flooding along Dead Horse Creek. The gravel road running from Hwy 200 to Hwy 22 had numerous washouts.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, August 2 to 27, 1997Wheat crops in around the community of Scobey were completely flattened by severe thunderstorm winds and large hail.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, June 5 to 10, 2023Several rounds of rain and thunderstorms affected much of Montana during the first half of June. Flash flooding occurred across portions of the region, especially across Fergus County as well as the Rocky Mountains.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 15, 2017An upper level wave tracked up from the Clearwater Mountains of Idaho towards the Seeley Lake area and initiated thunderstorms thanks to warmer than normal temperatures in the region.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Montana, June 12 to 26, 2022Periods of convective and upslope precipitation brought areal and river flooding June 11 through June 16. Rainfall of 2 to 6 inches was common for the lower elevations of Northwest Montana between June 11 and June 15.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Montana, July 12 to 13, 2001An isolated supercell thunderstorm formed over Garfield County, and remained nearly stationary for an hour. The storm produced 3 to 6 inches of rainfall which led to the coulees and ditches to fill up with water.
More
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.