Warmer weather could mean some flooding

With warming temperatures this week, the National Weather Service has said that small streams in the area could flood and larger rivers could reach flood stage soon.

“We’ve got a real warm week coming up,” meteorologist Marty Whitmore said. “We’ll have steadily increasing temperatures. By the weekend, (nighttime) freezing levels will be above 10,000 feet.”

That means most night temperatures will not fall below freezing and snow will melt continuously.

The Swan River in particular could crest at record levels. The Swan is expected to crest at 6.7 to 7.4 feet. If it hits the 7.4-foot mark, that would be the highest crest recorded, Whitmore noted.

The North and Middle forks of the Flathead should get high as well. The North Fork could reach 12 to 12.6 feet, and the Middle Fork could reach 11.1 to 12.1 feet. The mainstem of the Flathead should crest over flood stage at 15 to 15.8 feet. Flood stage is 14 feet.

 By Friday, highs could reach 75 in Columbia falls and the 60s in Glacier National Park. There’s a chance of rain and thunderstorms on Friday night and Saturday, and streams could go much higher if there is significant rain.

The snowpack in the Flathead River Basin is now at 202 percent of average. Even last week, the snowpack was still increasing in Noisy Basin, in the Swan Range north of Bigfork, where remote-sensing equipment is located.