From the Friday, May 16, 2008 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
With temperatures forecasted to rise into the high 80s in the next few days, melting snowpack is expected to bring several northwestern Montana rivers and streams to flood stage by the end of this weekend, the National Weather Service officials said Thursday afternoon.
Temperatures throughout the Flathead Valley are expected to reach the low 80s on Friday and peak near 88 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, according to NWS meteorologist Bruce Bauck. “We’ll be reaching record high temperatures in several parts of the state this weekend,” he said. “It’s truly a very exceptional heat wave for this time of year.”
Those high temps are expected to cause rapid melting in what has been a persistent winter snowpack. Snowpack in the Flathead River basin was 133 percent of the 30-year average on Thursday, according to hydrologist Ray Nickless.
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