May 10, 2018 - 4:38 PM
MISSOULA, Mont. - The Latest on Montana flooding (all times local):
5:40 p.m.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that the Clark Fork River near Missoula will crest at a level not seen in 100 years.
The weather service's updated forecast released Thursday predicts the river will reach 14 feet by Saturday afternoon.
The river has not run that high since 1908, when it reached a record 17.4 feet. The next highest level the river has seen was 13.75 feet in 1975.
Major flood stage is 13 feet, a level the Clark Fork surged past earlier Thursday.
Forecasters predict the river will stay at that major flood level at least through next Thursday.
Sixty homes are under evacuation orders as of Thursday afternoon, and 820 have been issued evacuation warnings.
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1:25 p.m.
Western Montana's Clark Fork River has reached major flooding stage for only the sixth time since measurements have been taken.
National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Lukinbeal said Thursday that the still-rising river is threatening additional residences two days after Missoula County authorities order the evacuation of 60 homes.
Lukinbeal says the river surpassed 13 feet Thursday morning. The last time it reached that major flood stage was in 1981.
Forecasters expect the river to crest over the weekend at 13 1/2 feet, which would be the third-highest level ever recorded. The river is then expected to drop and rise around that major flood level through next week.
Lukinbeal says major and moderate flooding could go on for weeks, giving the river a long period to damage homes and structures in the Missoula area.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018