Severe weather closes Park trails, campgrounds, roads

Nasty weather in Glacier National Park has closed some campgrounds, trailheads and roads. More than six inches of rain and more than a foot of snow fell on some parts of the Park.

Park officials made preparations to evacuate the St. Mary administrative site and the Many Glacier Hotel area if the rivers, streams and lakes keep rising. No evacuations have happened yet.

Heavy rains in November 2006 caused the level of Swiftcurrent Lake in the Many Glacier area to rise enough to run over the bridge at the outlet of the lake that accesses the Many Glacier Hotel.

Heavy rain and snow has hit the Park since Monday night, dropping more than a foot of snow in the higher elevations and more than four inches of rain at lower locales. From Tuesday through Wednesday, about 4.2 inches of rain fell on the Many Glacier area, and 6.5 inches fell at Goat Haunt.

Sperry Chalet, in the high backcountry on the Park’s west side, has seen 14 to 16 inches of snow.

The heaviest rain has fallen on the east side of the Park. St. Mary has seen 4.6 inches of rain in the past two days and heavy rains continue to fall.

Initial reports from the National Weather Service said Divide Creek had crossed the Going-to-the-Sun Sun Road at St. Mary, but Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said that isn’t true.

Water is high in St. Mary and the campground was closed because of standing pools, running water, debris from Wild Creek and other run-off. Park crews sandbagged the St. Mary administrative area in case Divide Creek overflows its banks.

 The Red Eagle Lake Trail, which starts near the 1913 Historic Ranger Station at St. Mary, is closed because of water on the trail.

The Inside North Fork Road is closed seven miles north of Polebridge because of standing water on the road, preventing travel to Kintla Lake.

Travel is not recommended in the North Fork, but the North Fork of the Flathead River has not yet breached the Inside Road.

The North Fork River at the Canada border rose from seven feet on Tuesday to 9.89 feet on Wednesday evening and was expected to reach 10.72 feet by Thursday. The level for minor flooding is 10.5 feet.

Snow plow crews have stopped work on the Sun Road until the weather improves. Crews moved plowing equipment to lower locations on Tuesday as snow began to fall and more snow was predicted.

The rain and snow is expected to dwindle by Thursday, and the weather is expected to warm and dry quickly by Friday, with valley locations seeing highs approaching 80. There is, however, a chance of thunderstorms.