Cold, snow to slow down flooding

An incoming cold front is expected to bring some snow but slow flooding across Northwest Montana over the next few days.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory from this morning through Friday morning for Marias Pass and other areas along the Continental Divide.

From 4 to 8 inches of snow are expected above 4,500 feet in elevation.

The cold front was to be preceded by heavy rain today, with predicted amounts ranging from .25 to .75 inches in Northwest Montana.

“Any remaining precipitation will turn to snow, and that means even to the valley floors,” meteorologist Chris Gibson said Wednesday.

Even with rain and snow, the cold weather is expected to curb mountain snowmelt and flows on the region’s swollen rivers and streams.

The  Yaak River still is expected to exceed its flood stage by about a foot over the next couple days, but then flows will drop off sharply.

The Stillwater River in the Flathead Valley, after briefly dipping below flood level, is expected to run just above flood stage for the next few days.

All reaches of the Flathead River system are expected to remain high but slightly below flood stage over the next few days.

However, Weather Service hydrologist Ray Nickless stressed that mountain snowpack remains well above average with very little snow melt so far at higher elevations.

For example, the Noisy Basin automated snow gauge east of the Flathead Valley shows 135 inches of snow still on the ground. That snowpack contains a record 66.9 inches of water.

“This is not the end of high water, this is just kind of the beginning,” Nickless said.