Flooding danger will continue

By CHRIS PETERSON/Hungry Horse News

The weather warmed up into the 80s and as predicted, the waters rose. But by early this week, flooding was minimal in the Columbia Falls area, although the potential for higher water still exists as rain was expected Wednesday (after our presstime) and through the end of the week.

In West Glacier the Middle Fork went over its banks on Monday, threatening several low-lying homes near the river. While the water was close, it wasn't flooding the homes, though one house had some water in the garage and residents had moved their valuables to the second stories of their homes.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Department had closed the road to the homes and was manning a road block.

Deputy Jon Carter said late Monday afternoon that the water was slowly, but surely, receding.

Glacier View Golf Course saw some flooding and closed down holes 4, 5 and 14. Fourteen was still playable, but the flood water formed a water hazard that normally isn't there.

In Columbia Falls emergency service personnel were keeping a close eye on homes at the end of South Nucleus Avenue as well as a trailer park off Jellison Lane.

Fire Chief Bob Webber said about 40 mobile homes and about three houses were threatened by flood waters at this point. He said county emergency service personnel had sand, sand bags and volunteers ready and willing to help if need be, but the water still had to flood a nearby field before it got to the trailers.

The city's River's Edge Park was flooded in several locations where ponds overflowed their banks and normally dry sloughs filled to the brim with water.

Still people were using the park, rolling up their pant legs and walking their dogs through the chilly water. The Flathead River had breached its banks in the park and filled the dry washes.

Dillon Koski, who lives nearby, decided to ride his bike across one of the sloughs and discovered it had about three feet of water in it.

"That's cold," he said.

Water was also bubbling up from underground in some spots in the park.

The Flathead River in Columbia Falls was at 14 feet on Tuesday morning, which is flood stage. At 16 feet, properties along the river could see some flooding. Minor flooding was also expected at Polebridge as the North Fork of the Flathead was expected to crest at 12.1 feet — which is just over flood stage — Tuesday morning.

The area isn't out of danger yet, however. Tuesday night and Wednesday thunderstorms were predicted, though not a lot of rain was expected with the system.

National Weather Service hydrologist Ray Nickless said more rain is expected Thursday and Friday, and how that plays out could affect the flood situation.

Colder air is expected in the mountains which would slow snow melt, but if it rains at higher elevations that could make the flood situation worse. The snowpack in the Flathead River Basin is still about 119 percent of average for this time of year.

Highs are expected in the 50s at lower elevations with lows in the 30s and 40s at night. Nickless said Tuesday it was just too early to predict how the weather systems would pan out.

The valley locations could actually use the rain — the area has been in a drought since last summer.

Hungry Horse Dam had reduced outflows from the South Fork to 300 cubic feet per second — a comparative dribble for a river that normally flows 10 times that amount.

The dam has a lot of storage capacity, facility manager Dennis Philmon said. He said the dam is 55 feet below full pool, with a target fill date of July 1.