Where it was raining Friday afternoon. "And it's snowing in the mountains."

Seems like it's feast or famine with the Missouri, he said. Until this year, it's mostly been famine -- with downstream states demanding more Missouri River water from upstream states to keep barges moving.

Those downstream states have more than enough water now. But so does Montana.

"People who have been here 50 years, 70 years, say they haven't seen anything like this," Gay said. "All small streams, creeks are full. There are towns that are flooded and cut off. And there's a lot of water to come."

The snow-water equivalent in some areas is 400 percent; meaning, snow that usually is 2 feet deep this time of year is 8 feet, something that happens maybe once every 50 years, Brusda said.

And as the snow-fed Missouri crosses Montana, it's collecting record rainfall, too. Some areas received 10 inches in three weeks; 3 inches fell on a town in northeast Montana between Thursday and Friday.

The rain is expected to continue through the weekend. An even stronger storm system could surface next week.

"And all that water -- because the ground is so saturated -- is going to flow into the Missouri," Brusda said. "And that's the unfortunate part."

Reach Peter Salter at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com.

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