Area river levels decline

Area rivers are still flowing high but levels have dropped slightly since Monday.

Pushed by heavy rains over the weekend, many river levels rose several feet, peaking Monday before declining as rain subsided.

The main Flathead River at Columbia Falls rose to 10.82 feet Monday before declining to 9 feet Tuesday. The peak on Monday represented a rise of more than 6 feet since early Sunday morning.

The Middle Fork of the Flathead River at West Glacier peaked at 8 feet Monday and was running just over 6 feet Tuesday afternoon.

The Yaak River at Troy, which nearly hit its minor flood stage of 8 feet Monday, dropped to 7 feet Tuesday.

The river surge was fueled by rainfall amounts from 3 to 6 inches over the weekend.

As temperatures dropped late Monday, the rain turned to snow at higher elevations, offering some relief to local ski areas.

Whitefish Mountain Resort received 3 inches of new snow by Tuesday morning and more snow was forecast Tuesday night.

A gradual drying trend is ahead, according to the National Weather Service.

In the Flathead Valley, showers are expected to taper off today and tonight.

Thursday and Friday are expected to be dry with highs in the 50s.