Rain in Billings, Montana

When it pours in Billings...it ultimately floods in Bismark and Pierre.

So what's up with all the rain in Billings?

Here is one headline from about 5 weeks ago;
BILLINGS HAS RAINIEST DAY EVER
3.12 inches of rain fell in Billings yesterday.  It was the rainiest day ever recorded in Billings.  Everywhere you go you hear people, including myself, say they have never seen anything like this ever in Montana.  Rivers and streams are out of their banks, many have flooded basements, and I-90 is still closed.  What is going on? 

Then at the end of May, the Billings Gazette said this;
BILLINGS SETS PRECIPITATION RECORD
Last month was the rainiest May on record by a long shot, according to the National Weather Service.
The rain total for the month in Billings was 9.54 inches — 7.06 inches more than average. The previous record for May was 7.71 inches, set in 1981.
It was also the second-wettest first five months in Billings since 1934. So far this year, 12.99 inches has fallen. Only 1978 — also a big flood year — had a wetter start, with 15.07 inches by the end of May.
Billings hit another dubious weather benchmark Sunday, when its high of 47 degrees tied the record for lowest high for May 30.
The only other time the day was that cold was in 1971.
Billings has still not reached 75 degrees this year, another record for 2011.

And that was for the month of May.  In the month of June it just keeps on raining...and where will all this water go?

Now today I get this email from my relatives in Pierre.  Remember that the Oahe dam in Pierre is now releasing 160,000 CFS when the previous high mark for water release was 60,000 CFS.

Finally the rain stopped this morning, but we had over 6 inches!! So far the levees are holding, but we saw a picture today of water going over the emergency spillway at the dam. That could be very serious - if they have to release water from those gates, it will damage or destroy the homes on the Pierre side of the river! And we still have two more months of this not knowing what's going to happen.

So it appears that lots and lots of folks all over the country from all different walks of life are wondering...."what's going to happen?"