Clark Fork River holds slightly below flood stage

SANDERS COUNTY – With the unofficial start of summer following Memorial Day, a string of warm weather has melted a significant portion of the snow pack at elevation.

While this is certainly a positive sign that warm days and pleasant evenings are right around the corner, it also means that the rivers of northwestern Montana, notably the Clark Fork River, are running quite high.

Vivaca Crowser, information and education program manager of Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks noted the high water levels were nothing out of the ordinary for late spring in the counties of northwestern Montana.

“We have seen typical spring flood conditions. Every year is different in its own way,” Crowser said.

Though the Clark Fork has slightly spilled its banks and enveloped islands and sandbars around the town of Plains, the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has its current levels of 14.52 feet, slightly below the flood action stage of 15 feet.

With a spat of more seasonable nighttime temperatures, the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service predicts water levels will recede, likely returning to below 14.5 feet by the end of next week.

With the river not technically flooding, fishing areas throughout Sanders County have remained open throughout the spring season.

Nevertheless, fishing conditions have still been impacted with the run off stirring a great deal of sediment and filling the rivers with additional debris.

Crowser urged caution for those taking to the river.

“Bring a life jacket, scout ahead and don’t go alone,” Crowser said.

The FWP program manager stressed it is always best to be cautious on the rivers during the summer, but the run off creates additional hazards for those planning on boating, recommending lakes as more hospitable areas.

“It is better to simply avoid the rivers right now,” Crowser said.

There are a number of factors that contribute to how high the rivers rise and the danger they pose to areas along the Clark Fork River.

Crowser said it depends on how quickly temperatures warm up and how fast the snow melts.

Crowser added the high river levels were largely due to the heavy snowfall experienced in February and March and not the warm temperatures at the beginning of May.

“The spring river levels have less to do with sustained temperatures and are more related to the snowfall we experienced during the winter,” Crowser said.

She pointed out that northwestern Montana had been pretty lucky over the previous winters, with relatively low snowfall, which in turn ensured there would be minimal flooding once the snow pack melted.

Last winter appeared to follow this pattern as December and January passed largely without major precipitation.

However, February and March altered this perception, dropping a sizeable quantity of snowfall throughout Sanders County, especially at areas of high elevation.

Many areas of Montana experienced late winter storms leading to above average snow packs when spring eventually rolled around.

Nevertheless, if the Clark Fork River Hydrograph is correct, water levels should recede without the river reaching flood action stage this spring.