Flood Warning Issued For The Milk

Snowmelt runoff will continue to bring minor and moderate flooding across northeast Montana in areas north of the Missouri River over coming weeks. The Milk River continues to rise across the region and ongoing flood warnings are likely.

The warmest day of the year so far is expected for today’s high at press time, Tuesday, April 11. Temps south of the Missouri are expected to break 80 degrees.

National Weather Service Glasgow issued a flood warning April 10 for Beaver Creek near Hinsdale. Video posted by NWSG meteorologist Ryan Bernhart April 10 showed flooding from Antelope Creek on Billingsly Road near Glasgow.

NWSG’s Angel Enriquez told the Northern Plains Independent that temps will drop down into the 40s for highs starting Wednesday. He said temps will come back up to the 50s for highs by Saturday. Next week should start out with highs in the low 60s.

The Milk River was expected to rise to a crest of 14.7 feet Tuesday. It is then expected fall below flood stage. Flood stage is 14.0 feet. A previous crest of 14.3 feet was recorded on April 12, 2011. This year’s peak is expected, said Enriquez, April 18-19.

The probability for river ice jam flooding will increase next week as ice breaks up due to the warmer weather. The main areas of concern are along the Missouri River and points north, but NWSG will continue to monitor all basins across the region.

Flowing creeks that feed into the Milk and Missouri Rivers will be at a higher risk for flooding. Those include Beaver, Whitewater, Frenchman, Big Muddy, Rock, Cherry and Poplar.

Concerns for ice jams on the Yellowstone River still remain elevated, but current observations near Glendive state that there is some rotting on the shorelines.

For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/ glasgow or check the group’s social media pages.