No flooding expected in Flathead Basin

The Daily Inter Lake

Weather Service revises forecast from earlier in week

The Flathead Basin's major rivers may be peaking and subsiding faster than was expected earlier this week, according to the latest projections from the National Weather Service.

Early this week, the service was forecasting the North Fork Flathead River and the main stem Flathead River at Columbia Falls to approach and slightly exceed flood stage by today. But forecasts issued Thursday show both of those rivers a foot below flood stage by tonight and then rapidly subsiding next week. The Middle Fork Flathead River, measured at West Glacier, also is expected to rise within a foot of flood stage by tonight and then drop several feet next week.

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for the Yaak River west of Libby for Thursday night. That river is expected to reach and slightly exceed flood stage tonight and through the weekend.

This week's warm weather has caused rapid runoff at high elevations, but it generally hasn't caused flood problems because snow at low and mid elevations had melted during the past few weeks.

Record temperatures have been recorded in parts of Northwest Montana during the past few days.

Thursday's high in Kalispell was 86, exceeding the previous record of 84 degrees set in 1956. The Wednesday high was 86, tying the record set in 1973.

In Eureka, the Wednesday high of 95 blasted the previous record of 85 set in 1973. An official high temperature has not been reported in Libby for Wednesday, but temperatures in the 90s easily broke the previous record for May 17, which was 88 set in 1924.

Several days of record highs have occurred at West Glacier this week. Most recently, Wednesday's high of 85 broke the previous record of 83 set in 1973. On Thursday, West Glacier had a high of 88, breaking the previous record of 81 set in 1973.