Snow keeps piling up
While the local rivers held steady last
weekend, the surrounding mountain snowpack was once again on the
rise.
A potent weather system brought up to
three inches of liquid precipitation to the higher terrain, which
added up to more than 15 inches of snow in some spots.
Big Mountain’s snow stick showed an
impressive 137 inches of depth at the summit on Sunday, with
between 15-20 inches of new snow covering the upper slopes. There
was 150 inches of snow on the summit when the ski resort closed at
the beginning of April.
A steady stream of skiers and
snowboarders made their way up the mountain to take advantage of
the top-to-bottom skiing and creamy powder on shaded aspects.
While the lingering snowpack is fun for
recreationists, it will likely cause local flooding eventually. The
cooler temperatures, however, are keeping the rivers below flood
stage for now.
“Colder temperatures have really cut
back and if anything, ended the snow melt that has helped push the
rivers up,” said Bruce Bauck with the National Weather Service in
Missoula.
Low temperatures on Friday at Logan
Pass in Glacier Park were at 25 degrees, while they stayed around
40 in the valley.
“We’re adding snow and that’s not very
normal for this time of year,” Bauck said. “This is something we’ll
have to watch as we get into the warmer part of June.”
The Stillwater River has been near
flood stage for a few weeks. The Whitefish River is steady at about
7.5 feet, a foot below flood stage.
Warmer temperatures and widespread
precipitation could bring the river flows back up. There is a
chance for rain every day this week, with highs in the low 70s
predicted.