Flathead County Under Flood Advisory; Area Roads Closed
Persistent rainfall causing flood concerns across Northwest Montana
By Justin Franz
Updated: May 23, 5:15 p.m.
Northwest Montana is bracing for a wet week after persistent rainfall caused minor flooding Monday and forced the closure of several roads.
Roads in the Columbia Falls and West Glacier areas were closed after 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in the last 48 hours. The heavy rain prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood advisory Monday morning for much of the region. A flood warning was issued for West Glacier and the surrounding area in Glacier National Park through Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed to all but essential traffic two miles north of Apgar Monday morning after flood waters washed away a culvert on the west side of the iconic highway.
The sections of the North Fork, Blankenship, Rabe and Half Moon roads near Columbia Falls were all closed Monday afternoon.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said rising water closed part of the North Fork Road just south of the Blankenship Road intersection. Curry said local residents can still access the road to Polebridge from the Camas Road in Glacier National Park.
The road on the west side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir has also been closed due to localized flooding.
“We’re keeping an eye on the situation,” Curry said of the local flooding. “What happens next all depends on what the weather does.”
Nine inches of snow was reported at elevations above 6,300 feet in Glacier National Park.
Many locations across the region have already seen significant rainfall in the past 48 hours, with common amounts in the 3- to 6-inch range, according to the NWS. An additional inch or more is possible May 23, which will exacerbate any local flooding issues, the NWS said. The focus will be on small streams and local drainages, where this abundant rainfall may cause runoff over the saturated ground.
Main stem rivers will increase in flow, but given that much of this moisture is going into snowpack above 6,000 feet, this is not forecast to cause major issues, according to the NWS.
This story will be updated when additional information becomes available.