Flood — Chouteau, Montana

2023-04-11 to 2023-04-13 · near Big Sandy Arpt, Chouteau, Montana

Event narrative

Chouteau County Sheriff's Office reported flood-related closures in Big Sandy at North Lonesome Lake Road between Ihmsen Well Road and Gardiner Road and from Black Coulee Road to Rudyard Road.

Wider weather episode

Unseasonably warm temperatures occurred in the first two weeks of April, with highs near 80 degrees occurring at times. These warm temps, along with occasional rain, resulted in melting of a deep snowpack on top of frozen ground which led to significant runoff into area waterways. Moderate to major flooding occurred along portions of the Milk River and its tributaries. Impactful snowmelt flooding also occurred across Southcentral Montana, in particular across the Gallatin Valley.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (48.1551, -110.1650)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1096961. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.