• Flood risk NW Montana

    From Mike Powell@618:250/10 to All on Mon Sep 7 12:08:28 2026
    AWUS01 KWNH 071519
    FFGMPD
    MTZ000-072115-

    Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion 1220
    NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
    1118 AM EDT Mon Sep 07 2026

    Areas affected...northwestern MT

    Concerning...Heavy rainfall...Flash flooding possible

    Valid 071518Z - 072115Z

    SUMMARY...Localized flash flooding will be possible across
    portions of northwestern MT over the next 6 hours as an additional
    1-2 inches of rain fall atop areas that have received heavy rain
    over the past few days. Hourly rainfall totals are expected to
    peak over 0.5 inches through 21Z.

    DISCUSSION...Water vapor imagery from 15Z showed a strong mid to
    upper level low/trough advancing from north-central ID into
    western MT. Out ahead of this feature was a west-east oriented
    axis of heavy rain, noted on area radar imagery, with embedded
    thunder, located from ~20 miles south of Cut Bank to ~40 miles
    south of Havre. Gauge reports from within this axis of heavy rain
    have shown 0.5 to 1.0 inches of rain in and around Great Falls but
    with much of that falling in about 15-30 minutes. The 12Z sounding
    from TFX showed a precipitable water value of 1.01 inches, which
    was near the climatological max for early September, but limited
    MUCAPE of 235 J/kg. The strong dynamics corresponding to the upper
    trough were making up for the lacking instability with left-exit
    region upper level jet divergence and diffluence advancing through
    west-central MT.

    As the mid to upper-level low advances northeastward into
    north-central MT through 21Z, weak elevated instability, locally
    exceeding 500 J/kg, is forecast by the RAP to affect locations
    from the northern Rockies into the upper Missouri Valley and the
    U.S./Canadian border. A deformation axis is likely to become
    better defined later this morning into the afternoon over
    northwestern MT, containing stratiform moderate rain with embedded
    cores of heavy rain and possible thunder.

    Hourly rainfall of 0.5 to 1.0 inches associated with the ongoing
    northward moving axis of heavy rain over west-central MT will
    continue to translate north over the next 2-3 hours while steady
    moderate to heavy rain sets up to the west. Through the early
    afternoon, additional pockets of heavy rain are expected into
    parts of northwestern to north-central MT with hourly rainfall up
    to ~0.5 inches and 6 hour totals in the 1 to 2 inch range.

    Due to 1-3 inches of rainfall that has fallen over the past 2-3
    days across portions of western MT, additional localized heavy
    rainfall of 1 to 2 inches may result in localized areas of rapid rises/inundation within areas of sensitive terrain.

    Otto

    ATTN...WFO...MSO...TFX...

    ATTN...RFC...KRF...PTR...NWC...

    LAT...LON 49131247 49111025 49081007 48411002 48081041
    47671219 47101316 47011386 47461491 48161548
    48811547 49081533 49091529

    $$
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    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * KY, USA (618:250/10)