Rising rivers follow warm days

The National Weather Service is projecting Northwest Montana rivers and streams to rise over the next few days with some expected to approach or exceed flood stage.

The rising waters are due to recent warm weather and rain that is expected Wednesday night, continuing through Thursday. Along the Montana-Idaho border, as much as an inch is expected. About a half inch is expected in areas farther east.

Hydrologist Ray Nickless said temperatures over the last couple of days have been about 10 to 15 degrees above average across Western Montana, triggering snow melt at middle and high elevations.

Kalispell’s high temperature of 80 degrees on Monday was only 2 degrees below the record high for that date.

“We’re starting our flood season a little bit early this year,” Nickless said. “With the temperatures we’ve had we’re melting snow at a pretty good rate ... Snowmelt alone is going to cause us to reach some flood stages, but when we combine that with rain we could get a spike” in river flows.

Nickless said official flood warnings have been issued for the Yaak, Fisher and Thompson rivers.

The Yaak River is expected to reach minor flood stage today, with potential to rise to moderate flood stage by Friday and Saturday.

The Fisher and Thompson rivers also are expected to reach minor flood stage today, gradually rising through Saturday.

In Flathead County, the Stillwater River is expected to approach action stage but be a foot below flood stage by the weekend.

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls has come up two feet over the last couple days and it is expected to rise an additional two feet by Saturday, but it still will be a foot below flood stage.

Cooler weather, on par with average temperatures for this time of year, is expected going into the weekend.

“This cool weather will help shut things down and drop river levels,” Nickless said.

But with most of the snowpack remaining in the mountains, more peak flows on Western Montana rivers and streams is expected in the weeks to come.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.