Rex Trulove
This year ushered in colder than normal and the snowpack was good, though the amount of snow in the mountains was very close to average. What was unusual is that there was a great deal of precipitation in the early spring and it didn’t start warming up until well after a month later than it usually does. In fact, each time it would marginally warmer, the temperature would drop and it would snow in the mountains, replacing any snow that melted. This set the stage for the Montana flood of 2018.
When temperatures did start increasing, they did so slowly and the rain continued. By early June, our temperatures are usually consistently in the mid 70’s or more. This year, even in mid-June, we were still having temperatures in the 50-60 range. It also normally rains about 3-4 days in June. This year, we’d have two or three days of clouds and occasional sunshine, then two or three days of almost constant rain.
The ground became saturated. Then in late-June, we started getting normal warmth, with temperatures in the mid to upper-70’s. After July 4th, the temperatures jumped up into the high 80’s. This caused the snowpack to melt fast and since very little of the snow had melted when it normally does, there was a huge volume of water. Since the ground was saturated, it couldn’t hold more water and Montana had what has been called a century flood, meaning that it was the worst flooding in 100 years.
Locally, our river was already swollen from all of the rain. It actually reached flood stage on June 12 and it stayed at or above that level for the next two weeks. Flood warnings were in effect almost every day and much of the lowland was flooded out. Roads were severely damaged, train tressels were damaged, buildings were damaged, and we had the worst year for mosquitoes in decades, because of all the water.
My daughter and I love to fish and normally we go out for the first time in the year in April. This year, the water level was too high to go out until late June. The following pictures are ‘before and after’ pictures, if you will, to compare when the water level was high and more recent pictures of what it looks like now after the flood water receded totally.
Taken from our fishing spot
This image was taken from our normal fishing spot two days ago. The big rock that is out in the water is jutting out of the water by about four feet. When the first picture was taken, the water level was about six or eight feet above that rock. Where I'm standing to take this picture was well below the surface.
As often happens when there is overcompensation for flood waters, the water level is quickly getting well below normal levels. This is because dams in both directions were opened to allow extra water flow. Normally, a lot of water is held back, knowing that this time of year will be dry and hot. However, the concerns over the flood waters were so great that they released much more water than normal, even after the snowpack had melted and there was no longer a flood risk.
Another spot just below flood stage
This is another place on the Clark Fork River when it was just below flood stage. The highway is just to the right of the big pine tree in the upper right of the picture. The willow that is standing in water on the left of the image is normally about 10 feet above and 30-40 feet from the river. The 'island' that can be seen almost in the center of the picture is actually part of the opposite shoreline.
The point at near flood stage
This is our favorite place to fish. It is called "The Point". This picture was taken about a week after the river level dropped below flood stage. The spot where we actually fish isn't shown in this image, but it is still completely under water. The water level is about six feet below flood stage.
Notice how close the water is to the tree line on the opposite shore. Those trees are above flood stage by several feet, so the water level is obviously still very close to flood stage. To the right of the image, there is usually a gravel and sand spit that juts out into the river from a large island. The spit is totally under water.
The spit
This was taken a couple of weeks after the first picture. The water level has dropped enough that the top of the spit can be seen. The willow bushes growing just to the right of center are actually growing on the spit. It doesn't show up well, but the spit is still quite wet in most places.
The spit a week later
After another week, the spit can be more clearly seen. This view is more southerly than in the last picture, but the willows can clearly be seen and the top of the spit is beginning to dry out. Where I'm standing to take this picture is still above where we normally fish, which is still under water.
Across the river at normal water level
This is a very similar view as in the first picture, but with the river at normal water level. You can see how far away from the trees the river is on the opposite shore. The spit can also be clearly seen, though a large part of it was actually washed away by the flood waters. This picture was taken about three weeks ago. This would be the normal view in the last week in May to the first week in June.
The spit as it normally is
As it is now
This picture is a very similar view as in the last picture, but it is taken with the river level being very low and with me standing on the edge of the river. Notice how far below the roadway the river is. That is the road in the upper left and there is a train track between this spot and the road.
The island
Train bridge from yet another spot
This picture was taken about a week after the flood waters began to subside. This is at yet a different place on the Clark Fork River. At this time, the river was already about six feet below flood stage. The white part of the bridge pylon shows how high the river was. Normally, the bridge is about 15 feet to 20 feet above the water.
My home was actually not in danger because of its location and the fact that it is so much higher than even the flood stage. However, many properties did get flooded out. The flooding was also worse in many places in Montana than it was on the Clark Fork River. This was Montana's century flood of 2018.
Wow, nature has its own mind and we have to deal with it.