Flood outlook in holding pattern for now
High water in Ashley Creek puts pressure on a foot bridge at the home of Bob Miller on Friday morning. Miller said he was not overly concerned about the flooding; he remembers floods in the 1990s being at least 10 inches higher.
A flood warning remains in effect for the Stilllwater River through central Flathead County, while the National Weather Service predicts that other major waterways will begin to swell at a faster pace this week.
The National Weather Service in Missoula updated its flood warning on the Stillwater River Saturday morning as the tributary of the Flathead River remained above flood stage at 7.8 feet after reaching 8.4 feet Thursday.
The Stillwater, which is threatening homes along River Road, Magstadt Drive, Nicholson Drive and other low-lying areas, is expected to remain at those levels for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, National Weather Service hydrographs are calling for a spike this week on the Flathead River, which is predicted to reach the action stage of 13 feet near Columbia Falls by Monday. Flood stage is at 14 feet.
The Middle Fork of the Flathead River at West Glacier was at 6.38 feet Saturday but is expected to reach 9 feet by next weekend, only a foot short of flood stage.
The Swan River at Bigfork is predicted to reach action stage this week as well, with possible depths of 6 feet by Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the Weather Service. It measured at 4.8 feet Saturday.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry, who is overseeing the county’s flood response efforts, said rain, along with continued snow melt, could play a factor throughout the next week. The National Weather Service is calling for possible showers and intermittent rain in Kalispell and surrounding areas over the next six days.
“As of right now, we’re in a holding pattern to see what happens with the weather,” Curry said Saturday afternoon.
County workers and emergency responders dislodged a log jam on the Stillwater River west of River Road in Evergreen Thursday, but Curry said no additional mitigation efforts are currently planned.
Curry said he and others are keeping watch over National Weather Service predictions that call for a rise in river levels over the next week along with weather forecasts.
“Keep in mind that these are predictions for a reason, and those are subject to change,” he said, later adding, “a rain event could change things.”
The county has made sand and bags available for public use at Evergreen Fire and Rescue’s main station on U.S. 2 East in Evergreen. The materials are available to the public 24 hours a day.