More rain expected in coming days; but Weather Service cautiously optimistic that we won't see major flooding

More rain is expected in the coming days, but the National Weather Service is cautiously optimistic it won’t cause any significant flooding in the Flathead Valley.

The Flathead River was at 14.16 feet Thursday afternoon, which is in the minor flood stage. It’s projected to rise to 15.23 feet by Tuesday, which is still minor flood stage.

The next round of rain is expected with thunderstorms late Friday into Saturday. Those shouldn’t result in significant flooding unless there’s a “train” of storms, where one storm comes after another.

That’s not expected to happen, National Weather Service meteorologist Luke Robinson said Thursday. However, small streams like Trumble Creek, which already flooded more than a dozen homes, could rise again.

Of bigger concern is a system that rolls in Sunday into Monday.

That could bring about an inch of rain, but one model suggests it could bring 2 inches of rain.

Robinson said right now there’s optimism that it won’t bring 2 inches, but if it does, it could cause flooding on the main rivers.

He said right now there’s about a 20 to 25% chance of 2 inches of rain.

The last storm dumped one-day record amounts of snow and rain in some valley locations.

The Noisy Basin Snotel recorded 7.1 inches of snow water equivalent on June 14 and the Hand Creek Snotel recorded 2.5 inches.

Both are records for one-day precipitation. The Noisy Basin fell as snow — 41 inches total, according to Robinson.

In other flooding reports, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said Thursday official evacuation notices remain in effect for the following areas:

Leisure Road, Kalispell

North Hill Top Road, Columbia Falls. However, the water looked to have dropped significantly near Trumble Creek over the past 24 hours.

Additional road closures are also in effect:

From Steel Bridge Road to Muddy Drive in Kalispell

West Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road between Mazie Creek and Graves Creek Road

All main open roads that access the main block of Stillwater State Forest.  This includes the Lower Whitefish Road accessed via East Lakeshore Dr. from Whitefish, Upper Whitefish Road accessed from Olney and the 900/Mount Marston Road accessed from Stryker.  This includes the Upper Whitefish Lake Campground.

Evacuations have been lifted in the following areas and roads are open to resident traffic only:

Rabe Road, Columbia Falls

Lake Drive and Bailey Lake Area in Columbia Falls

Blankenship Road

Sand bag fill stations are available to the community in the following locations:

Columbia Falls City Shop, 700 9th St W

Applied Materials Parking Lot (Old Shopko)

Echo Lake Fire Hall, 735 Echo Lake Road

Whitefish – The Snow Lot. Corner of Railway Street and Columbia Ave

Additionally, due to potential flooding concerns in Flathead County, the Office of Emergency Services in coordination with external partners is looking to develop a list of people who have pastures that can help to accommodate displaced livestock. Any facilities that could house livestock would also be appreciated. Pastures or facilities will need to be located in areas that are out of potential flood areas and on higher ground. The expectation is that the livestock owners would be responsible for caring for their own animals. People who can help, can follow the link below and fill out the form.

https://fcoes.formstack.com/forms/livestock_resources

Red Cross has set-up an emergency shelter at Columbia Falls High School for individuals impacted by evacuation orders. The Sheriff’s Office has established an information line at 406-758-2111. Due to the rapidly changing situation, the most current source of information will continue to be the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.

“We caution community members to remain aware of their surroundings and avoid driving in standing water or flooded areas,” Heino said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public as needed.”