Montana snowpack remains above normal
Chance Cooke finds his line in N.B.C. on Big Mountain on Saturday, April 6. While Whitefish Mountain Resort closed for the season in mid-March due to COVID-19 concerns, many ambitious skiers and snowboarders have been “earning their turns” on Big Mountain. People are reminded to follow social-distancing guidelines while recreating during Gov. Steve Bullock’s stay-at-home order that expires April 24. (Matt Baldwin/Daily Inter Lake)
A group of snowshoers climb up Big Mountain on April 6. While Whitefish Mountain Resort closed for the season in mid-March due to COVID-19 concerns, many ambitious skiers and snowboarders have been “earning their turns” on Big Mountain. People are reminded to follow social-distancing guidelines while recreating during Gov. Steve Bullock’s stay-at-home order that expires April 24. (Matt Baldwin/Daily Inter Lake)
State hydrologists are optimistic about Montana’s deep mountain snowpack heading into spring runoff season.
According to Lucas Zukiewicz, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service water supply specialist for Montana, the snowpack typically peaks this time of year at low and mid-elevations.
“The news is good as we get closer to runoff season this year, aside from one small lower-elevation range west of Flathead Lake, most mountain ranges in Montana have a snowpack that is near to above normal for this date, even though March snow totals were below normal in some regions,” Zukiewicz said.
The snow-water equivalent of the snowpack in the Flathead River Basin is at 117% of average. The Kootenai Basin is at 114%, while the Lower Clark Fork is 110%.
A weather station at Noisy Basin in the Swan Mountain on Thursday showed a snow depth of 115 inches holding 46 inches of water. Flattop Mountain in Glacier National Park showed 134 inches of snow holding 55 inches of water.
As a whole, streamflow forecasts across the state are near to slightly above average for the April 1 through July 31 period.
“Water users are encouraged to look at this month’s water supply outlook report for forecasts in their region of interest, as forecasts can vary widely within a particular river basin. A few rivers west of the Divide have forecasts that are slightly below average due to the lack of late fall and early winter precipitation, even though snowpack is near normal for this date,” Zukiewicz said.
This situation is not present in all river basins within the state, but it should be noted that it has impacted runoff forecasts where it is occurring.
“As we progress further into spring, we should continue to accumulate snowpack in the high elevations in the mountains across the state, and May 1 forecasts will use a more accurate snapshot into our peak snowpack, and what that should yield with regards to our overall runoff volumes this year,” according to Zukiewicz.
