Flooding Still Affecting Rockies, But Water Expected to Recede

Idaho’s Lemhi River reached its 6.5 foot flood stage at 5 a.m. Friday, triggering a warning from the National Weather Service, aimed at local ranchers, who should expect flooding along the waterway from Tendoy to Salmon.

Upstream rains mean alerts are still out for the Teton River in Madison and Fremont counties, which is just below flood stage. Minor flooding on low ground near St. Anthony, Sugar City and Rexburg is expected late Friday through Saturday. Flooding on Henry’s Fork Thursday is also impacting agricultural lands and local roads around Rexburg. Lake Pend O’Reille at Hope and the Pend O’Reille River below Albeni Falls are flooding Bonner and Pend O’Reille counties. Lake residents can expect flooding in yards, boat ramps and local recreational areas.

Snowmelt is feeding flood waters on the Bear River from the Wyoming border to Stewart, Idaho. Dingle and Pegram areas are advised to keep close watch.

South-central Wyoming is under flood warning, from Rawlins to Laramie along the southern border to just south of Casper, and a second section from Dubois to Riverton and Lander below south of Thermopolis.

Grand Junction and Steamboat Springs, Colo., are both under flood warning. A section from I-70 including Kremmling running north to the border and east of I-25 is on flood watch. Red flag fire warnings continue for the Vail and Aspen areas, and much of the southern part of the state.

The cities of Vernal and Manila, Utah, remain under flood warning and advisory, respectively. The Heber and Duschene areas in northeastern Utah are on flood watch. From Moab south, and much of southern Utah, the state is on red flag fire warning.

Nevada is still seeing flooding around Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, as well as in the northeastern section around Wild Horse, Winnemucca, Eureka and Austin. The Hawthorne area near Yosemite is under flood advisory.

Both east and western Montana continue to experience flood problems, particularly Missoula, which stands near the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers, and Bozeman, Billings, Lewistown and Great Falls, which are all under flood warning. Flood watch remains up for much the Bitterroot and Flathead valleys. Notably, flood alerts have been dropped for the Butte, Roundup, Malta and Helena areas. A red flag fire warning is up for all of southern Montana just east of Red Lodge and Billings, including Miles City.

The National Weather Service reminds residents in areas affected by snowmelt flooding that streams may be deceptively deep and fast. Cold, rapid water is a serious safety hazard; residents should avoid getting too close and monitor their local situations carefully. Drivers should not attempt to cross flooded roads.