Record Flooding on the Hi-Line

I’m in Glasgow this morning where residents are preparing for the worst flooding they’ve ever seen.

Driving along Highway 2 between Havre and Glasgow already looks more like the Florida Everglades than Montana.

Torrential rain and hail pelted Glasgow Tuesday morning. The already completely saturated earth wasn’t able to hold any of that water, and a flash flood rolled through town around noon. An underpass flooded and police blocked off some streets until the water receded. According to Glasgow resident Amanda Hall, even higher points around the town weren’t safe from the water.

“We live up on a hill and we had water coming in the basement,” Hall said. “The water table is usually so low up there but everything is so wet any rain we get just comes into the basement.”

Tuesday’s storms also knocked out power around parts of town, and rescuers spent much of the day yesterday trying to reach area residents who were stranded by high waters. Members of the volunteer fire department were busy pumping water out of the hospital. 

Waters are expected to reach a record of 33.5 feet today, nearly three inches higher than the record flood stage of 33.2 feet. I’ll post later today with more photos and news from the Hi-Line.