Lake Pend Oreille on track for regular refill

By Reader Staff

Lake Pend Oreille sat just below 2,058 feet above sea level on May 20, keeping with predictions the Army Corps of Engineers shared earlier in the month that 2020 would see an average flood risk and be uneventful, barring any unexpected storms in the area.

Under the Long Bridge in Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson.

Tentative estimates — which are subject to change in the case of large weather events — have Lake Pend Oreille reaching 2,060 feet around June 1, leaving only two feet to go before cresting summer pool. 

This forecast is on par with early predictions from the Corps, which said the lake would reach summer pool in mid-June unless any extreme storms occur in the Pend Oreille Basin.

Lake Pend Oreille’s official measurements come from a gauge in Hope. For hourly updates on the lake level as measured at the Hope gauge, visit nwrfc.noaa.gov/rfc.