SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Heavy rains and melting snowpack are raising river levels in the Inland Northwest to dangerous levels.
The Spokane River at Post Falls Dam is running at a rate of more than 1 million gallons per hour, the National Weather Service said That is dangerously fast and people are being urged to stay out of the river this holiday weekend.
Meanwhile, the Coeur d’Alene River at Cataldo Mission in Idaho is expected to crest at 42.2 feet early Friday morning, about three-quarters of a foot below flood stage. Downstream, Lake Coeur d’Alene will crest Saturday afternoon at 2,132.7 feet in elevation, 0.3 feet below flood stage.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle District has flood teams working in four river basins, and the Corps’ Emergency Operations Center is under 24-hour operation.