POLSON — Energy Keepers — the managers of SKQ Dam near Polson which feeds into Flathead Lake — held a meeting on Thursday, March 14, 2024, to discuss past weather trends and how the lake's levels are looking this year.
Energy Keepers reports that the current snow water equivalent levels — or water content of the snowpack — for Flathead Lake, are much lower than they were at this time in both 2022 and 2023.
However, the current water level of Flathead Lake itself is higher than normal for this time of year.
By comparing last year's data to what they're currently seeing, Energy Keepers detailed that there is less snow, which could mean less runoff.
Presentations by the National Weather Service showcased that the average temperature in May of 2022 was almost 12° lower than in 2023.
Higher temperatures meant that there was less melting and runoff. Both also happened at a faster rate, stopping on June 1.
Also, there was low precipitation which did not help lake levels.
So, temperatures, fast melt, low precipitation, and low amounts of runoff caused last year's low water levels for Flathead Lake with the lake being 30" below full pool in August.
"Hot temperatures in May rapidly melted the snowpack by mid-June and June precipitation was below normal resulting in a record low natural inflow into the lake," Eve James with Energy Keepers explained.
"So, the current snowpack conditions for water year 2024 can be seen in the black line. They are much lower than the conditions of water year 2022 and 2023," James also noted.
Monitoring of water levels, runoff, and temperature will continue with possible increases in snowpack into late April and early May.
Future updates will be shared on Energy Keepers' website at https://energykeepersinc.com/
