Jan. storms brighten snowpack picture

While there hasn’t been much snow in the valleys, there was a significant boost in mountain snowpack across Northwest Montana last month.

Snowpack above the Flathead Basin was at 86 percent of average and the Kootenai was at 99 percent of average by the end of January, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Both those figures show marked increases: At the end of December, Flathead Basin snowpack was measured at 69 percent of average and the Kootenai River Basin snowpack was 88 percent of average.

At lower elevations, the snow story is much different.

Snowfall in the Flathead Valley has been 52 percent of average. At Glacier Park International Airport,  a total of 21.4 inches of snow has fallen this winter, well below the normal 41.2 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Overall, Montana mountain snowpack in basins that feed the Columbia River system gained an average of 13 percent during January and was at 93 percent of the 30-year average.

Mountains that feed the Missouri Basin had snowpack that was 84 percent of average.

“The beginning of January saw little snowfall across the state until the second half of the month brought significant accumulations of increasing snowpack — 15 percent in most basins statewide,” said Brian Domonkos, water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“With nearly two-thirds of the snow accumulation season behind us, there is still some time to make up for lost ground, but the window of opportunity is closing.”

As of Thursday at Whitefish Mountain Resort, there was a settled base of 77 inches at the summit of Big Mountain, which has received a total snowfall of 144 inches this winter. That compares to a 105-inch base with 210 inches of total snowfall on the same date last winter.

The ski area benefited from seven feet of snow that fell during January.

To the south, Blacktail Mountain Ski Area has a 91-inch base of snow and has received more than 140 inches of snow this winter.

Based on the recent mountain snowpack numbers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service predicts that streamflows from April through July should be 89 percent of average in the Flathead Basin and 86 percent of average in the Kootenai Basin.

These forecasts assume near-normal moisture and runoff conditions from now through July.