Warm Weather Leads to High Rivers, Some ‘Darn Close’ to Flooding

Warmer weather is impacting local rivers in Western Montana. Hydrologist Ray Nickless with the National Weather Service says this past week has caused a noticeable rise.

"We've actually seen the rivers this last week on the rise from all of the snow melt and the warm temperatures we've had. Some of the locations, like the Bitterroot River and the Clark Fork River, they'll get up pretty high with the additional snow melt, right now, we're not expecting any of those to exceed the flood state, but they could get up there, pretty darn close."

Nickless says it is too early to tell yet if the rivers have reached a high point.

"We have rain events that occur in May and during the first week of June, so until we have gotten out of that climatic period where we see those low pressure systems come in that don't have cool air with them and just carry a ton of rain, we can't say we've seen a peak until we're actually through the first or second week of June."

High rivers are a good sign that Montana may escape this summer without drought conditions, but it will delay spring fishing season.