Rain, Winds Highlight Friday Storm
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June 29, 2023
A substantial storm on Friday, June 23rd knocked down multiple trees at the cemetery, damaging the fence and littering the ground with branches. Plans to replace or repair the fence were in the works Monday.
Copious quantities of moisture fell on Southeastern Montana Friday night, with Broadus receiving 1.50" in the deluge. High winds accompanied the storm, causing limited devastation around the Broadus area, and localized flooding of some county roads.
The storm uprooted trees at the golf course, as well as taking the roof off a nearby shed. Multiple trees at the cemetery were broken off or uprooted, causing extensive damage to the eastern cemetery fence. The majority of the downed trees at the cemetery were Russian olives. In Broadus, the worst of the damage seemed to be on the east and south sides of town. Several trees near the nursing home were damaged, while a nursing home tree was completely uprooted. Cottonwood Park and areas to the southeast showed damage to the cottonwood trees, with live branches broken off and littering the area.
A major leak to the roof of the high school gym was discovered by PE Teacher Dustin Lanke, who happened to be at the gym preparing for the weekend basketball tournament. Lanke, with enlisted help, managed to sop up the water before any damage occurred to the gym floor. School officials think the problem may be with a roof drain; the gym roof is only a few years old and had problems once before with the drains.
The storm caused a road closure of the Moorhead Road as heavy flooding washed out the county road at Plum Creek. As of Monday, the Moorhead Road was still closed between Bloom Creek and the Moorhead Bridge as crews worked to repair the damage. Road Supervisor Teel Mullanix told us the road was expected to re-open late in the week.
Across the river on the East River Road South, the county road was also inundated with water from the storm in several areas.
The National Weather Service totals for the storm across the area ranged from around 1" to nearly 2", while spotty rains earlier in the week added to the moisture totals in locations outside the Broadus area. Rains continued Saturday, adding to the June moisture totals and further setting back ranchers in their quest to wad up hay into bales.
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