Tag Archives: snowpack

Spring rains helped crops, but not wildfire danger

Fire season is a big concern this year . . .

Montana weather experts say a wet spell this spring helped mitigate what could have been a destructive summer for crops, but it hasn’t eased the high threat of wildfire.

A state drought committee concluded Thursday that snowpack melted a month ahead of schedule and exacerbated the slight drought conditions persisting in western Montana.

Montana’s situation pales in comparison to the crippling drought in California, where mandatory water cutbacks have expanded from residential neighborhoods to rural irrigation districts. But with thousands of forest acres increasingly considered vulnerable to fire this summer, Montana is distressed enough to have been included in a June 12 drought conversation between President Barack Obama and the governors of six western states.

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Hefty snowpack to raise streams across Northern Rockies

Looks like we’re due for above average runoff over the next few months . . .

A hefty mountain snowpack in the Northern Rockies has driven down the summer wildfire potential and bumped up prospects that farmers in most of Montana and Wyoming won’t go dry.

As for flooding, government forecasters say the coming weeks will make all the difference.

A relatively even warm-up would keep streams and rivers in check. Too much warm weather and flooding could threaten downstream communities.

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Snow still building up at altitude

Above the valley floors, it’s been a heavy snow year. (There’s still plenty around our place.) . . . .

While snow at lower elevations around the Flathead Valley has melted, mountain snowpack remains well above average due to cool weather and continued precipitation, and the National Weather Service says the stage is set for some flooding in Western Montana.

That may come as no surprise to the folks at Whitefish Mountain Resort, which still has a whopping 151 inches of settled snow at the summit of Big Mountain.\

Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said that measurement exceeds the highest measurements in recent years for early April. In 2011, the last big late snow year on the mountain, 144 inches was measured. In early April 2008, the snow depth was 140 inches at the summit.

Montana snowpack increased through March

Montana snowpack is about average most places and continued to accumulate throughout March . . .

There may not be gold in them thar’ hills, but there’s snow.

In fact, even as we creep into spring, the statewide snowpack increased for the third month in a row in March, adding as much as 24 percent to February totals in areas of western Montana.

But don’t go filling sandbags, says Brian Domonkos, water supply specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“Snowpack is really not a driving factor for high stream flows,” says Domonkos, whose agency released its March numbers Friday. “Weather is the driving factor. If we have a cool, dry spring, flooding is not so likely.“

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Montana snowpack just about back to normal levels

Not exactly startling news, but it’s nice to have official word that high country snow levels are just about back to normal . . .

After a slow start in the last months of 2011, Montana’s snowpack has mostly caught up to historical averages around the state.

The month of February dealt above average snow for the second consecutive month, while increasing snowpack in all major basins, according to snowpack data released this week by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Statewide, snowpack was at 95 percent of average as of March 1. As of Feb. 1, snowpack was at 90 percent of average.

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Snowpack close to average in most of Western Montana; Flathead area a little less

Looks like snow snow accumulation is running a bit behind locally, but not in Western Montana generally . . .

The snowmen look a little shriveled, but western Montana’s 2012 snowpack has stuck close to average despite January’s wintry weather.

Readings from the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bozeman show the Columbia Basin rivers of northwest Montana at 93 percent of their average precipitation. The Kootenai, Upper and Lower Clark Fork and Bitterroot are all right around 100 percent, with only the Flathead basin lagging at 86 percent of average.

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Flathead Basin snowpack just 69 percent of average

Confirming what everyone has noticed, snow accumulation is considerably less than normal so far this winter . . .

Mountain snowpack in the Flathead River Basin is 69 percent of average, according to Jan. 1 figures from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Kootenai River Basin to the west has snowpack that is 88 percent of average.Statewide, mountain snowpack is below average.

Jan. 1 represents about 45 percent of the expected seasonal snowfall, so more than half of the snowfall season remains.

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Snow melting, dams filling, floods feared in West

Here’s a pretty good overview of the potential flood situation in our corner of the the U.S. from today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

The giant concrete dams of the Pacific Northwest are overflowing with water. Wyoming has deployed National Guard troops to pile up sandbags. A federal official compares the impending situation to a bucking bull ready to storm out of his chute.

States across the West are bracing for major flooding in the coming weeks once a record mountain snowpack starts melting and sending water gushing into rivers, streams and low-lying communities. The catalyst will be warmer temperatures forecast for the next week that could set off a rapid thaw.

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Related article more specific to Montana: Schweitzer wants presidential disaster declaration

Record rain but no real flooding yet in Flathead Valley

High altitude snowpack is still not melting and, in some places, still accumulating, keeping everyone in suspense. The Daily Inter Lake has a good summary of the situation . . .

Record precipitation was recorded in the Flathead Valley and at higher elevations Thursday, but cool weather is likely to halt snow melt and keep local rivers in check for now, according to the National Weather Service in Missoula.

The bad news is that record snowpack at higher elevations will have to melt eventually, creating a potential for serious flooding when higher temperatures arrive in June, Weather Service Meteorologist Bruce Bauck said.

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(Note: if you want to keep an eye on high altitude snow depth, check out the “Flathead River Basin” section at the Montana SNOTEL data summary link on the Flood Information page.)

Rain this week, with flooding likely to follow

Rain and warmer temperature should bring river levels up across the area by the end of the week. Today’s Daily Inter Lake has a good write-up . . .

A mixed bag of weather is expected to push rivers across Western Montana, including the Flathead River, to flood stage this week.

The National Weather Service in Missoula is forecasting light rain, about a quarter inch, hitting Northwest Montana Monday night and today, followed by a dry Wednesday with temperatures in the 70s.

Then the region is expected to get about an inch of rain on Thursday. The chance of heavy rain on Thursday is listed at 100 percent by the Weather Service.

All Flathead Valley rivers are expected to see higher flows through the week.

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