Flood danger passes for St. Mary

The Daily Inter Lake

The expected rain that prompted a flash-flood warning for St. Mary never came about, so evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday for the area on Glacier National Park's eastern boundary.

The park also reopened the St. Mary Visitor Center and the St. Mary Campground, and it lifted restrictions that were imposed on oversized vehicles.

The evacuation order and closures were prompted by a flash-flood warning issued by the National Weather Service late Wednesday.

A subsequent flash-flood watch for Thursday was canceled.

The precautions were imposed largely because much of the area around St. Mary recently was burned by the 32,000-acre Red Eagle Fire, making it more prone to flooding.

And Divide Creek has a history of flooding near St. Mary.

"The potential for flash flooding to occur from a heavy rain in this area has greatly increased due to the loss of vegetation and the reduced ability of the soil to absorb water following the Red Eagle fire," a park press release states.

"Banks along Divide Creek are very unstable and susceptible to landslides during heavy rains at this time, which could cause damming of the creek and a more severe flash flood event."

All visitor facilities are now open in the St. Mary area and the east side of Glacier Park.