February 1, 2009 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts
Missouri River Basin Streamflow Forecast Missouri River Basin Mountain Snowpack
Upper Missouri Basin
THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN AS OF FEBRUARY 1 WAS NEAR AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACK ABOVE TOSTON, MONTANA WAS 95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACK BETWEEN TOSTON AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 93 PERCENT. THE SNOW PACK IN THE ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 91 PERCENT. JANUARY PRECIPITATION WAS MAINLY ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ABOVE TOSTON WHICH WAS BELOW AVERAGE. BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY, 109 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 129 PERCENT; LOWER MILK, 145 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 74 PERCENT; TOSTON TO FT. PECK, 101 PERCENT.
January 2009 Upper Missouri Mean Precip Oct-Jan WY2009 Upper Missouri Mean Precip
STREAM FLOW IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE NEAR
AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER. THE ST. MARY RIVER
IS FORECAST TO HAVE 77 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER FLOWS.
RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 98 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FOR THE
MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA. FORECASTS FOR THE MILK
RIVER BASIN CALL FOR AROUND 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE SPRING SUMMER RUNOFF.
Upper Missouri February 1, 2009 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts
OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 97 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 77 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 72 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 102 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED WATER.
THE MAJOR HYDROELECTRIC RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA (CANYON FERRY AND
FORT PECK) HAD MONTHEND STORAGE IN THE AVERAGE TO BELOW AVERAGE
RANGE; 101 AND 67 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.
AS INDICATED BY THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL LONG TERM GAGING STATIONS,
THE MARIAS RIVER NEAR SHELBY, MONTANA HAD AN ESTIMATED 59 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE RUNOFF IN JANUARY.
Yellowstone Basin
THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS NEAR
AVERAGE ON FEBRUARY 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE
BASIN WAS 103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND,
BIGHORN, AND SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 90, 105, AND 97 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER
BASINS WERE 119 AND 122 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.
PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY WAS NEAR AVERAGE ACROSS
THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN. THE RANGE WAS FROM 133 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
IN THE LITTLE BIGHORN-UPPER TONGUE TO 80 PERCENT IN THE LOWER
YELLOWSTONE. THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 123 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 108 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE WAS AT 82 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AND THE
POWDER RIVER HAD 125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE AVERAGE
DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER. RUNOFF AT BILLINGS, MONTANA
IS EXPECTED TO BE 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, WITH A PROBABLE RANGE
BETWEEN 73 AND 126 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. STREAM FLOW FOR THE
WIND-BIGHORN BASIN ABOVE ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS FORECAST TO BE
98 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH A PROBABLE RANGE OF 48 TO 149 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE FLOW IN SUB-BASINS. FLOW IN THE TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED
TO BE 120 TO 126 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH A REASONABLY LIKELY RANGE
OF 104 TO 154 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FLOWS IN THE POWDER RIVER
ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 130 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH A REASONABLY
LIKELY RANGE OF 86 TO 176 PERCENT.
Yellowstone February 1, 2009 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR IN
WYOMING, 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR IN
WYOMING, AND 110 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR ON THE
WYOMING/MONTANA BORDER.
RUNOFF DURING JANUARY IN THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER WAS 83 PERCENT OF
THE 1971 TO 2000 AVERAGE AT CORWIN SPRINGS, MONTANA AND 97 PERCENT
OF THAT PERIOD`S AVERAGE AT BILLINGS, MONTANA.
(HTTP:/MT.WATER.USGS.GOV/PUB/NWC.RELEASE.HTML).
Platte Basin
THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON FEBRUARY 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 82 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
JANUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS AVERAGE
THIS FALL. JANUARY IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SEMINOE
RESERVOIR WAS 165 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR PRECIPITATION
WAS 199 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN BELOW GUERNSY
RESERVOIR HAD 206 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FALL PRECIPITATION. THE HIGH
ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 104 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FALL PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 81 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
JANUARY PRECIPITATION.
January 2009 Platte Mean Precip Oct-Jan WY2009 Platte Mean Precip
STREAM FLOW IN THE PLATTE BASIN IS FORECAST TO RANGE FROM BELOW AVERAGE TO AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER. RUNOFF FOR STREAMS ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 85 TO 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 55 TO 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE, COLORADO CAN EXPECT 75 TO 85 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 75 TO 95 AVERAGE.
North Platte Streamflow Fcst South Platte Streamflow Fcst
STORED WATER IN SOUTH PLATTE BASIN STORED WATER WAS 91 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE ON FEBRUARY 1. STORED WATER IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
79 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.
