October breaks 102-year Flathead rainfall record
<p>A tree is reflected in a puddle at the Old Steel Bridge Fishing Access on Tuesday.</p>
This October is officially the wettest on record in the Flathead Valley, toppling the previous record that’s held for more than 100 years, according to the National Weather Service in Missoula.
October rainfall reached 3.41 inches at 6 a.m. Wednesday, edging the previous October record of 3.4 inches set in 1914. The 30-year precipitation average for October is 1 inch.
There’s no sign this wet weather pattern will break in the coming days.
“Right now with our forecasts this morning, we’re looking at a pretty wet couple weeks,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Luke Robinson. “We’re not seeing any real drying indicators.”
Robinson said the record rain has been brought on by the forecasted La Niña weather phenomenon. La Niña is characterized by below-normal water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that can influence global weather patterns. It typically produces above-average rainfall in Northwest Montana.
The record rainfall this October is a sharp difference from last year’s El Niño influenced weather. Kalispell saw just 1.14 inches of rain last October, which fell almost entirely at the end of the month, according to the weather service.
“This year we’re going to be a weak La Niña or mutual winter,” Robinson said. “During those types of winters we usually expect to have at least average if not above average precipitation. The signals point to our winter this year is going to be above average.”
While forecasts are subject to change, Robinson said the weather service has determined there’s a 70 percent chance that this winter will be influenced by La Niña. Robinson said he’s confident in this year’s forecast; the only thing likely to change is La Niña’s strength.
“Whether it’s stronger or weaker, it’s really not going to change much here in the Northern Rockies,” he said. “No matter what happens with the La Nina, we’re expecting to see above average precip for the winter.”
Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.