Record rain here, snow in Glacier
<p>A heavy-laden lilac bush is weighed down by fresh snow Thursday in Whitefish. Wednesday’s deluge broke precipitation records in the Flathead Valley.</p>
Wednesday’s deluge of rain broke a precipitation record for the Flathead Valley, and it arrived as snow in Glacier National Park, temporarily delaying Going-to-the-Sun Road plowing efforts.
The gauge at Glacier Park International Airport recorded 0.94 inches of rain for the day, breaking a previous mark of 0.87 inches in 1980.
The gauge at Noisy Basin on the Swan Mountain Range recorded 1.8 inches of precipitation, and at West Glacier, there was 1.6 inches of precipitation, but it came mostly as snow.
Flathead Valley residents also woke up to snow on Thursday morning.
In Glacier Park, the west-side plow crew on Sun Road attempted to get back to Rimrock, just west of Logan Pass, Thursday morning.
“Up at Rimrock, they encountered about 8 inches of new snow this morning and very limited visibility, so they are not working on the west side today,” said Denise Germann, the park’s public affairs specialist.
“As of this morning, it was still snowing slightly, and we are anticipating another 6 to 8 inches,” Germann said Thursday afternoon.
About two miles east of Logan Pass, a plow crew encountered about 3 inches of snow.
Germann said the new snow, combined with any warmer weather or rain, would heighten the potential for avalanches in the park, which could further hamper plowing efforts.
Park visitors should expect slushy and wet conditions on lower portions of the road that have been open to vehicles.
Other than conditions on the road, there are no restrictions for hikers and bikers who travel beyond vehicle closures at Avalanche Creek and Jackson Glacier Overlook over the three-day Memorial Day weekend.
Germann urges visitors to use caution near water, which is cold and running fast across the park.
The heavy rains caused river flows to spike throughout Northwest Montana, and the storm caused a series of isolated power outages in the Flathead Valley. Before 9 a.m. Thursday, there were 11 reports of power lines down in the Columbia Falls and Whitefish areas.
More rainy weather is in the forecast throughout the weekend.
The National Weather Service predicts a 70 percent chance of rain in the Flathead today, a 40 percent chance Saturday, a 50 percent chance Sunday and a chance of showers on Monday.
High temperatures are expected to be in the mid-60s with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s.