When floodwaters encountered the Frenchman Hills, their level was high enough that, although the bulk of the water passed through the Crab Creek drainage, some water spilled west over the low points of three divides along Evergreen and Babcock ridges to reach the Columbia river channel at Frenchman Coulee to the southwest, Potholes Coulee to the north central and Crater Coulee to the northwest. The bulk of the floodwaters took the easiest path, straight south through the Drumheller Channels stretch of Crab Creek.
When floodwaters encountered the Frenchman Hills, their level was high enough that, although most of the water flowed through Crab Creek drainage, some overflowed to the west over low points along Evergreen and Babcock ridges, reaching the Columbia river channel at Frenchman Coulee to the southwest, Potholes Coulee to the north central, and Crater Coulee to the northwest. The majority of floodwaters took the most direct route, flowing south through Drumheller Channels stretch of Crab Creek.