State of disaster declared by governor as flood worries persist
Mineral County resident Jerrie Bullock sent in “before” and “after” photos of the St. Regis Peninsula as flood waters continue to persist throughout the region.
Mineral County resident Jerrie Bullock sent in “before” and “after” photos of the Big Eddy Fishing Access as floodwaters continue to persist throughout the region.
Gov. Steve Bullock declared a second executive order this month declaring a “disaster to exist in the state of Montana” on May 21. In the most recent declaration, Gov. Bullock stated that, “flood conditions persist and have worsened in many locations since I declared a state of emergency to exist statewide in Montana”. His previous order was on May 1, 2018.
The National Weather Service has reported flooding ranging from minor impacts in agricultural areas and rural roads, to major impacts affecting homes, businesses, and major infrastructure in 38 locations across Montana. Also, in recent weeks, the State Emergency Coordination Center has received 11 additional declarations of emergencies from local and tribal jurisdictions throughout the state.
Significant flooding is expected to continue as temperatures warm and snow melts due to continued snowpack at higher elevations in the mountains of western and central Montana. The snowpack in Mineral County is at 132 percent of normal, and the upper Clark Fork is at 155 percent as of May 25.
May 28 was the day flood water would crest on the lower Clark Fork with predictions of 18.04 feet at St. Regis. The ‘action’ flood stage is considered at 19 feet with “major” flooding at 22 feet according to the National Weather Service. The St. Regis River is well below flood stage at 5.61 feet, where minor flooding is considered at 8 feet. There are no other reports of flooding in Mineral County where the river near Superior is below flood levels at 9.5 feet.
Another problem area is in Plains where the “minor” flood stage is predicted at 16.84 feet on Friday. Major flooding is considered at 19.5 feet. The water level on the Clark Fork River above Missoula rose to roughly 11 feet on Thursday, May 24 moving the river into moderate flood stage. The current forecasts predict the water will continue to rise and will remain in moderate flood stage for the rest of the week.