Warm weather accelerates river flow forecast

The National Weather Service has once again accelerated flow forecasts for some rivers in Northwest Montana due to ongoing warm weather.

Earlier in the week, the Yaak and Fisher Rivers in Lincoln County were not expected to approach or exceed flood stage until early next week.

But as of Wednesday, the Service’s online hydrographs were showing the Yaak River reaching its 8-foot flood stage by this afternoon, with flows increasing slightly above flood stage over the weekend.

The Fisher River was forecast to rise to its action stage — one foot below flood stage — by this weekend.

Hydrographs for the Flathead River system also showed earlier high water compared to predictions earlier in the week, but most of the river forks currently are expected to approach flood stage over the next nine days.

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls is expected to approach within a foot of flood stage by the middle to latter part of next week.

 The Swan River downstream from Swan Lake is forecast to approach within a foot of flood stage by the middle of next week.

There is a similar forecast for the Stillwater River at Lawrence Park in Kalispell by the middle part of next week.

Flood info online

n National Weather Service hydrographs can be viewed online at:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mso/hydrology/composites.php.

n The Flathead County Office of Emergency Services website, www.flathead.mt.gov/oes, includes links to river levels, a flood warning map prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers and tips about what to do in the event of flash flooding.

n Snow-water equivalent levels as measured at automated sites by the Natural Resources Conservation Service are available at:

http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/updatesur/update-mt.html