A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.

20 September 2015

Flathead Lake and the droughts of 2001 and 2015

Twice since 2000, droughts have resulted in below normal Flathead Lake levels for the summer recreational season, which runs approximately from June through mid-September. In 2001, a drought less severe than the drought of 2015, the level of the lake dropped the farthest. There was no drought management plan in place then. There was this summer, and as displayed in the graphs below, the lake didn’t drop as much.

Major droughts in the Flathead occurred in 1931, 1941, 1944, 1977, 1987, 1988, 1992, 2001, and 2015. Annual hydrographs of Flathead Lake, 1908–2015.