Weather forecasters say the worst appears to be over in this round of flooding in the Inland Northwest.
In north Idaho, the National Weather Service says Paradise Creek near Moscow and the Palouse River near Potlatch are more than a half-foot below flood stage. In the Spokane area, meteorologist Katherine Rowdin says the level of Latah Creek is also falling.
“It’ll keep receding through the weekend, which is fortunate," Rowdin said. "The nights are colder, which helps the snow melt slow down and we’re not expecting as much rain as we’ve had the past couple of days, even though there is some rain and snow in the forecast.”
Rowdin says flooding could return later if temperatures warm up or there’s more precipitation.
“It may not be the peak for the season, depending on what kind of weather events we still have, because there’s still a lot of snow out there, but for this event right now, we are seeing the creeks and stuff coming down,” she said.
Rockford wary about floodwaters
In the town of Rockford, about 25 miles south of Spokane, Mayor Carrie Roecks is keeping a close eye on Rock Creek, which flows through the town. It hasn't yet overflowed and went down a couple of feet Thursday night.
"I don't think we're out of the woods just yet," Mayor Carrie Roecks said. ""There's still a lot of snow pack and a lot of warm weather coming."
She said if the creek rises and tops the Rock Creek bridge, water will flood into several businesses on the town's main street. There have been reports of water flooding into basements and garages, but nothing has yet been destroyed or damaged.
"There's not much we can do to keep the water down, but we're hoping if the water does come over the bridge that we can divert it using sandbags and a lot of volunteer help to minimize the damages to the businesses in the community."