Tag Archives: snow depth

Snow still building up at altitude

News, ,

Above the valley floors, it’s been a heavy snow year. (There’s still plenty around our place.) . . . .

While snow at lower elevations around the Flathead Valley has melted, mountain snowpack remains well above average due to cool weather and continued precipitation, and the National Weather Service says the stage is set for some flooding in Western Montana.

That may come as no surprise to the folks at Whitefish Mountain Resort, which still has a whopping 151 inches of settled snow at the summit of Big Mountain.\

Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said that measurement exceeds the highest measurements in recent years for early April. In 2011, the last big late snow year on the mountain, 144 inches was measured. In early April 2008, the snow depth was 140 inches at the summit.

Montana snowpack increased through March

News, Snow Conditions,

Montana snowpack is about average most places and continued to accumulate throughout March . . .

There may not be gold in them thar’ hills, but there’s snow.

In fact, even as we creep into spring, the statewide snowpack increased for the third month in a row in March, adding as much as 24 percent to February totals in areas of western Montana.

But don’t go filling sandbags, says Brian Domonkos, water supply specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“Snowpack is really not a driving factor for high stream flows,” says Domonkos, whose agency released its March numbers Friday. “Weather is the driving factor. If we have a cool, dry spring, flooding is not so likely.“

Continue reading . . .

Montana snowpack just about back to normal levels

News, Snow Conditions,

Not exactly startling news, but it’s nice to have official word that high country snow levels are just about back to normal . . .

After a slow start in the last months of 2011, Montana’s snowpack has mostly caught up to historical averages around the state.

The month of February dealt above average snow for the second consecutive month, while increasing snowpack in all major basins, according to snowpack data released this week by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Statewide, snowpack was at 95 percent of average as of March 1. As of Feb. 1, snowpack was at 90 percent of average.

Continue reading . . .

Flathead Basin snowpack just 69 percent of average

News, ,

Confirming what everyone has noticed, snow accumulation is considerably less than normal so far this winter . . .

Mountain snowpack in the Flathead River Basin is 69 percent of average, according to Jan. 1 figures from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Kootenai River Basin to the west has snowpack that is 88 percent of average.Statewide, mountain snowpack is below average.

Jan. 1 represents about 45 percent of the expected seasonal snowfall, so more than half of the snowfall season remains.

Continue reading . . .

Larry Wilson: On North Fork curmudgeons

Commentary, History, , ,

This week, Larry starts off with a few word about North Fork curmudgeons. It’s a subject more appropriate to a short book than a short column, but he pulls it off . . .

Earlier in November, it looked like it was going to be a long winter. Snow was getting deeper and deeper, temperatures dropped below zero, and Lynn Ogle was getting grumpier by the hour.

He was almost like Wilke Hastings, who used to live in a small cabin on Trail Creek…

Continue reading . . .

Larry Wilson: Winter strikes the North Fork

Commentary, News, ,

This is a bit confusing. Apparently, Larry’s column didn’t make the deadline for the print edition of the Hungry Horse News, but it did get posted online — over a “Larry Peterson” byline [update – they fixed it]. Go figure.

Anyway, Larry discusses the season’s first serious snowfall and cold snap . . .

No one on the North Fork needs to be told that Fall has fell and it is now winter. In the last week we have had a total snowfall of over 16 inches. There has been settling but a blanket of snow now covers everything, the golden needles have been blown off of the larch and wood is no longer being put in woodsheds but is being carried into the house.

Not only are we carrying wood into the house, we are burning a lot of it. In between snow storms we have had bone-chilling cold along with brisk winds. It seems a little early for subzero temperatures but my Monkey Ward thermometer read minus 12 degrees F one morning and neighbors reported similar below zero readings.

Continue reading . . .

Some of last winter’s snow persists in Glacier and other parts of Rockies

Environmental Issues, News, ,

From today’s Missoulian . . .

Scientists who monitor the effects of global warming are watching glaciers shrink all over the world, but this year could be an exception in parts of the Rocky Mountains.

Snow is already piling up in the high country, but not all of the unusually deep snow from last winter has melted. As a result, some glaciers and snowfields are actually gaining volume this year.

Scientists have measured new ice in Glacier National Park and atop Colorado’s Front Range mountains. In northwest Wyoming, there is photographic evidence of snowfield growth…

Continue reading . . .

Logan Pass opening worth the wait

News, Travel Articles, , ,

From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

Larry Leger and Sharon Knight, of Louisiana, came up Glacier National Park on a tour of the West. With the Going-to-the-Sun Road closed over Logan Pass at the time, they decided to extend their stay, traveling to Canada and then Yellowstone National Park.

“We delayed our departure by three days,” Leger said. “It was worth it. This is impressive.”

Leger was standing next to the Big Drift on the Going-to-the-Sun Road when it opened to vehicles July 13. A hundred feet of snow towered behind him.

Continue reading . . .

Record rain but no real flooding yet in Flathead Valley

Flood Information, News, , ,

High altitude snowpack is still not melting and, in some places, still accumulating, keeping everyone in suspense. The Daily Inter Lake has a good summary of the situation . . .

Record precipitation was recorded in the Flathead Valley and at higher elevations Thursday, but cool weather is likely to halt snow melt and keep local rivers in check for now, according to the National Weather Service in Missoula.

The bad news is that record snowpack at higher elevations will have to melt eventually, creating a potential for serious flooding when higher temperatures arrive in June, Weather Service Meteorologist Bruce Bauck said.

Continue reading . . .

(Note: if you want to keep an eye on high altitude snow depth, check out the “Flathead River Basin” section at the Montana SNOTEL data summary link on the Flood Information page.)

Flooding in Northern Rockies expected to start this week

News, , ,

A warming trend later this week is expected to increase snowpack runoff and likely cause small stream flooding by Friday.

The Daily Inter Lake has the story . . .

The National Weather Service expects mountain snowpack to begin melting at a more rapid rate beginning Wednesday and extending through Friday, according to a weather outlook released Saturday afternoon.

A ridge of high pressure is forecast to bring warmer air to the Northern Rockies, increasing the likelihood that small streams and creeks will spill out of their banks by Friday.

The warmer weather system is expected to come on the heels of persistent rain and snowfall today and Monday at elevations above 6,000 feet, where snow levels are already well above historic averages.

Continue reading . . .