Monday, May 9, 2011

If summer falls on a weekend this year

we should have a big picnic.

A few inches of new snow fell overnight. 
Actually, it won't be around long, with highs in the 40s today and 50s tomorrow.  I'm going to get my  snow tires taken off tomorrow.

The ground was mostly clear before the new snow fell.

 The river is clear, too, and has begun to rise.

There are new flood warnings out this morning.  Here are a few highlights:

On May 6, National Weather Service forecasters predicted the gauge at Darby [30 miles downstream from my cabin] could top out at 8.57 feet sometime over the course of the next month.  The river has never reached that level in the 75 years that people have tracked streamflows at Darby. The flood level at Darby is 7.5 feet.
Those living in flood-prone areas should be sure to fasten down above-ground propane tanks and make sure the ones underground are filled full.  When the ground water begins to rise, half-empty propane tanks buried underground will pop right to the surface.
The forecast is for warming in the middle and end of this week, which may mark the beginning of seasonal warmth. It takes a week or two for the whole system to respond.  I don't think it will go into flood stage for a week or maybe two. It's all weather dependent and hard to predict.
You might see some mass movement on road cuts, and stream crossings may fail.  The river will be especially dangerous.  The high water will move a lot of woody debris. Wood that has been stored for years will be floated. It's going to be touch and go for a little while.
All the predictions are based on the water that's already up there. They aren't even using the moisture that could come from additional rainfall.

3 comments:

  1. Glad I forded that river when it was only calf high. How do the animals get across, or not?

    Beautiful pics!

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  2. At some point, the four-legged animals are going to have to pick a side or use the bridge like the two-legged animals do, assuming the bridge holds.

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  3. I just read our local paper and it predicted 1 to 2 feet of snow for elevations of 6,000 feet and above....winterish is never ending or it seems like it. We certainly won't be visiting our cabin until, hmmm, mid June or later?

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