Weather: Warm, Watery, and Lakey

Indiana was warm and sunny while I was there. I tried to bring the warm weather back home with me, and it looks like I succeeded. Eager to get back to the lake after a wonderful time being gone.

Sun

79° | 52°

Mon

82° | 48°

Tue

79° | 45°

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 1205 PM PST SAT APR 21 2012

...SEVERAL DAYS OF WARM TEMPERATURES STARTING SUNDAY WILL MELT SNOW AND CREATE SIGNIFICANT RISES ON AREA RIVERS AND LAKES. MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE AS EARLY AS TUESDAY...


RIVERS AND LAKES THROUGHOUT THE REGION WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT RISES BEGINNING SUNDAY AND CONTINUING INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WORK WEEK. AT THIS TIME THE IDAHO PANHANDLE HAS THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO EXPERIENCE FLOODING ON MAINSTEM RIVERS. SEVERAL DAYS OF WARM TEMPERATURES...COMBINED WITH SEVERAL NIGHTS OF ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN THE MOUNTAINS...WILL SEND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SNOWMELT INTO RIVERS AND STREAMS. THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE TUESDAY THAT MAY INCREASE THE FLOODING CONCERNS IN THAT AREA.

...FAR EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO... TODAYS RIVER FORECASTS SHOW THE COEUR D`ALENE RIVER AT CATALDO AND THE ST JOE RIVER AT ST MARIES EXCEEDING FLOOD STAGE BY TONIGHT. THE MOYIE RIVER AT EASTPORT...THE KOOTENAI RIVER AT BONNERS FERRY...THE ST JOE RIVER AT CALDER...LAKE COEUR D`ALENE...THE SPOKANE RIVER AT SPOKANE AND THE GRANDE RONDE RIVER AT TROY ARE ALL FORECAST TO REACH OR EXCEED BANKFULL THIS WEEK. SMALL STREAMS DRAINING HIGH ELEVATION SNOWPACK WILL LIKELY BE AT BANKFULL OR EXPERIENCE SOME MINOR FLOODING. IF THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE NEXT WEEK ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST...THE ST JOE RIVER AT ST MARIES IS THE ONLY RIVER EXPECTED TO EXCEED FLOOD STAGE FROM SNOWMELT ALONE.

...EAST CASCADES AND NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON... TODAYS RIVER FORECAST SHOWS RISES ON ALL THE MAINSTEM RIVERS DRAINING THE EAST CASCADES AND OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS BUT AT THIS TIME THE ONLY RIVER FORECAST TO REACH BANKFULL NEXT WEEK IS THE STEHEKIN RIVER AT STEHEKIN. SMALL STREAMS DRAINING HIGH ELEVATION SNOWPACK MAY REACH BANKFULL OR EXPERIENCE SOME MINOR FLOODING FROM SNOWMELT. THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE SNOWPACK REMAINING IN THESE MOUNTAINS SO THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING ON THESE RIVERS AND STREAMS THROUGHOUT THE SPRING RUNOFF SEASON.

THIS IS AN EVOLVING SITUATION. THOSE WITH INTERESTS NEAR AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT FOR RISING WATER AND BE AWARE OF FUTURE OUTLOOKS...WATCHES...OR WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.