Community responds to rising water

LAKE COUNTY — With forecasted highs struggling to reach the 60s during the later part of the week, National Weather Service officials say the rate of snowmelt should stabalize and high water levels should recede.

That’s good news for Jocko Valley residents and volunteers who were up to their elbows in sand last week, banding together to combat rising water along a number of local stream beds.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Gibson, things have since calmed down due to a recent low pressure system bringing cooler weather, which is expected to continue through the weekend.

“Creeks and streams are coming down a little bit, but we could have another round of flooding with warmer weather later in the month,” he said. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

The question remains however: How long will it last?

Experts say it will take just three to seven days of warmth with valley highs in the 80s to lower 90s for the real runoff to hit Lake County, which has been spared the major damage many surrounding areas have experienced thus far.

“If we continue in the high 60s to lower 70s through the end of June, we could bring this snow off fairly orderly,” NWS hydrologist Ray Nickless said Monday. “At some point, I have to believe we’re going to warm up and see a more drastic melt. But, so far we’ve been able to keep it there and if we can, we might get by.”

Yet the snowpack remains huge; the Flathead River Basin was listed at 301 percent of average on Monday.

“There is lots of potential for very high flows in the future and even larger peak flows than we have seen so far,” Nickless said. “It’s something we have to watch for and be diligent about. Usually around this time of year we start to relax. This year we can’t.”