National Weather Service

Governor Greg Gianforte toured Flathead County on Monday to get an update on flooding in the area. Conditions on the ground, evacuation notices and orders keep shifting along with river levels.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents in low-lying areas of the county to evacuate as a precautionary measure due to risk of flooding. The middle fork of the Flathead River has swelled in recent days to over 16 feet.

Severe storms across Montana over the weekend and into Monday forced some residents to evacuate and prompted a rare closure of all entrances to Yellowstone National Park.

The list of flood and winter weather watches associated with excessive precipitation continues to grow. The incoming ‘atmospheric river’ is bringing 200%-300% of normal moisture into the northern Rockies this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

A weather system is edging into western Montana that forecasters are calling “excessive rainfall.” A handful of flood watches are now posted for the region. Cooler, unsettled conditions are anticipated to last through the rest of June and impact fire season.

Forecasters are predicting up to 12 inches of snow to fall in lower elevations, and up to 20 inches in the mountains starting Tuesday through early Wednesday. Unseasonably cold, below-freezing temperatures and gusty winds are expected through Thursday.

Fluctuating temperatures caused ice jams and flooding near Ennis, Three Forks and Logan earlier this month.

Snow continues hammering parts of Montana and more blustery weather is on the way. National Weather Service Great Falls has issued a blizzard warning Friday for the Rocky Mountain Front because of anticipated strong winds and poor visibility from blowing snow. Avalanche experts across the region are urging caution.

Steady moderate-to-heavy snowfall is likely just in time to complicate Thursday morning’s commute. “We are looking at the valleys getting anywhere from 3 to 12 inches of snow,” Meteorologist Trent Smith says.

Montana is on track to close out November with record-setting warmth, but seasonal conditions are right around the corner, forecasters say.