Mountain snowpack is average

The region’s snowpack is just about average for the year, although total precipitation since October is nearly 30 percent above average.

As of last week, the snowpack in the Flathead River Basin was 97 percent of average.

Some site specific places are well above average, while others are below average. West Flattop Mountain, in Glacier National Park, is 125 percent of average, while Many Glacier east of the Continental Divide is about 78 percent of average. Overall precipitation is higher because the fall weather was wetter than average. Precipitation for the Flathead Valley was 1.28 inches above average since Oct. 1.

The snowpack should be good news for rivers come spring. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is predicting normal stream flows this spring.