RIVERS -- Gathering snow melt fueled by a handful of sunny days will push the Clearwater River into flood stage at Orofino today, according to the Northwest River Forecast Center.

The Snake River south of Asotin and the South Fork of the Clearwater River at Stites are also predicted to flirt with flood stage today as abundant snowpack gives way to warming temperatures and spring showers.

Officials in Clearwater County are preparing for flooding of low-lying areas but do not expect significant damage.

Read on for details from the Lewiston Tribune.

“Usually at this level it’s minor,” said Don Gardner, emergency management coordinator for the county. “We stand ready as a county. We have everything lined up and ready to go.”

The Clearwater River has been on a steady rise since Monday and is expected to surpass 82,000 cubic feet per second at Orofino and crest at about 17.8 feet on the gauge by noon. Flood stage is 17 feet. A flood warning was issued for the South Fork of the Clearwater but the latest forecast shows the river cresting just short of spilling its banks.

The Clearwater River at Spalding, just upstream from Lewiston, is expected to reach nearly 90,000 cfs today and the Snake River south of Asotin could hit 150,000 cfs and crest just shy of 20 feet or flood stage. The Salmon River at White Bird is forecast to hit 87,500 cfs Thursday.

The rivers are expected to sink below flood stage on Thursday and continue falling through the weekend. John Livingston, a meteorologist at the Spokane office of the National Weather Service, said the unusual amount of snow lingering in the region’s mountains will leave rivers vulnerable to flooding.

“If we stay with moderate temperatures and warm-up and cool down, warm up and cool down, there won’t be terrible impacts,” he said. “But if we get a real good warm up and the temperature at Lewiston gets up into the 90s, it could drive a little more of a crest with more of an impact. But every day that goes by, the chances of that are less likely.”