SANDPOINT — Lake Pend Oreille is expected to exceed flood stage during the middle of next week, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The lake level is anticipated to exceed normal full pool — 2,062.5 feet, by Sunday. The lake’s flood stage is 1 foot above the full pool elevation.

Continued snowmelt and increases in river levels are expected this weekend and into next week, the corps said in an Albeni Falls Dam flow update issued on Friday.

Outflow from the dam, which is in free-flow mode, was expected to exceed 95,0000 cubic feet per second last night and is expected to surpass 110,000 cfs by the middle of next week.

“Flows in the Pend Oreille River and elevations on Lake Pend Oreille have the potential to meet or exceed 2011 levels later this month,” John Moen of the corps’ Hydraulics & Hydrology branch of the agency’s water management section in Seattle said in the flow update.

Flooding in 2011 pushed the lake’s level to 2,064.3 feet, the eight-highest crest on record for Lake Pend Oreille.

Officials from the corps and Pend Oreille County co-hosted a meeting on Friday in Cusick to update the community on downstream flooding conditions.

Meanwhile, Bonner County Emergency Management has made available sand and sandbags for landowners to safeguard their property. Sand and bags are available at Bonner County Road & Bridge’s District 2 shop on Eastside Road in Priest River, the Northside Fire District’s Rapid Lightning Road station, the city of Sandpoint’s shop on Industrial Drive and the Selkirk Fire Rescue & EMS station in Sagle. Empty sandbags are available at the Samowen Fire District station in Hope and the Northside Fire District’s station in Ponderay.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.