What about flooding in montana affecting empire builder?

[scutterbear]

I know that this is mostly up to nature but thought I would just feel some folks out who either live in the montana area or travel EB quite a bit in the spring.

I'm trying to plan my now extended trip home to Mississippi from Montana and it's like dodging bullets with all of this flooding.

In the local montana paper today they had an article about the snowpack and flooding. In some areas, the snowpack is 500% ABOVE normal levels and at some point all of that stuff has to melt and come down the mountains. There are a few areas in Montana where some of the rivers are already showing a little flooding. The temps have already risen to the 70's here around Kalispell.

So I guess my question is, for those of you who are experienced in this area of the country, if I put off traveling back home to around the 27th of May (give or take a day), do you think I'm going to run into EB disruption in Montana? Or is it generally not ever an issue here?

thanks!

mark

 

[anir dendroica]

Hey Mark,

You strike me as a bit of a worrier. Flooding in MT is not a perennial issue like in North Dakota or along the Mississippi since the tracks are well above river level, but who knows what a record snowmelt will do in terms of washouts, landslides, etc. Bottom line: BNSF will do what they can to keep their northern transcon open, so any disruptions should be of short duration.

Amtrak, like the airlines, can be an adventure. Delays, cancellations, equipment failure, bomb scares, drunks in the next seat over, etc. You can worry if you want, but you can't take all the risk away. Better to enjoy it, hope for the best, and trust that even when Mother Nature plays her hand you will get there in the end.

Mark L.

 

[JayPea]

Given the long-term forecast for May and June (below normal temps) for the area I'd think any snowmelt would be slow in coming. I really don't forsee any major problems with massive snowmelt given that scenario. I live near Spokane and there may be some minor flooding this week as temperatures approach (drool!!) 80 degrees, but then it looks like it's back to the 50's and 60's next week into the next weekend, slowing down considerably the snowmelt.