Flooding in Chouteau, Blaine counties, more snow on the way

Flood warnings and advisories remain in place in Chouteau County and Blaine County also has them in place, mainly because of an ice jam in Clear Creek that has been cleared, a county official said.

Blaine County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Haley Velk said an ice jam caused water levels to rise above flood stage in Clear Creek, with flooding on Machinist Road about seven miles south and west of Chinook.

That impacted a couple of residences, although they have other routes they can use, she said.

Blaine County Road Department crews cleared the jam and the level of the creek dropped rapidly, she said.

She said that was the only road her department was aware of being flooded by Clear Creek, though Bohs Road south of Chinook off Cleveland Road also had flooded due to runoff.

Velk said that with colder weather in the forecast for the next several days, the chance of flooding is likely to drop, but that also means more snow will remain in April when temperatures could climb more rapidly. That could increase the chance of flooding then, she said.

A National Weather Service flood advisory says that with continued snowmelting, the advisory is in place through Thursday evening and much of Blaine County has some chance of flooding.

A flood advisory remains in place for Chouteau County, with Weather Service reporting the worst flooding is around Geraldine, which includes roads being impacted and culverts washed out.

The flooding is expected to continue and worsen in Chouteau County, especially in the northern portion of the county where the snowpack is the greatest, the advisory said.

Hill County DES Coordinator Dave Sheppard said that, as of this morning, HIll County has not heard of any major flooding, although that could rapidly change.

The area saw some snowfall this morning and more, along with colder temperatures, is in the forecast for the next few days.

For Havre, snow showers are expected this afternoon and tonight, with a few flurries possible Thursday night. Snow or snow showers also are predicted Friday through Tuesday, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing for highs Saturday through Monday with lows possibly in the single digits Friday and Saturday.

The forecast calls for highs to go back into the 30s or even 40s later next week, with lows expected to drop below freezing for the next 10 days.