National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Missouri Basin River Forecast Center
Water Supply Statement
Issued in cooperation with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service
Issued:  January 21, 2015

 

 

  

 Missouri River Basin Streamflow Forecast as of January 1, 2015       Missouri River Basin Mountain Snowpack as of January 1, 2015

 

Upper Missouri Basin

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN AS OF
JANUARY 1 WAS ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE TOSTON,
MONTANA WAS 126 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK BETWEEN TOSTON
AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 121 PERCENT.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE
ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 91 PERCENT.
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN WAS 
ABOVE AVERAGE.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN
INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY,  310 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 211 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 56 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 129 PERCENT; TOSTON TO
FT. PECK, 117 PERCENT.

 

December 2014 Upper Missouri Mean Precip                     Oct-Dec WY2015 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 92 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER
FLOWS.  RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 99 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  

 


     Upper Missouri January 1, 2015 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 115 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 77 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 57 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 159 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 113 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.



Yellowstone Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS AVERAGE
ON JANUARY 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS
116 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 100, 106, AND 108 PERCENT OF AVERAGE,
RESPECTIVELY. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE
90 AND 112 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.


PRECIPITATION DURING DECEMBER WAS ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE UPPER
YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 113 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED 94 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 207 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 200 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED 202 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 130 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.



 December 2014 Yellowstone Mean Precip                    Oct-Dec WY2015 Yellowstone Mean Precip
 
FORECAST STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN IS NEAR
AVERAGE RANGE FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  STREAM
FLOW FOR THE WIND-BIGHORN BASIN ABOVE ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS
FORECAST TO BE ABOUT 92 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 93 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOWS IN THE
POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 123 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 131 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.

 


     Yellowstone January 1, 2015 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

Platte Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION  SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
101 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON JANUARY 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE  BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 104 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 113 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS ABOVE  
AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION DURING DECEMBER IN THE NORTH PLATTE
BASIN ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 115 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE
NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR
PRECIPITATION WAS 177 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 211 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 121 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 221 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION.




 

 December 2014 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Dec WY2015 Platte Mean Precip

 

STREAM FLOW IN THE PLATTE BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE NEAR
AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.
RUNOFF FOR STREAMS ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT
92 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE
BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 82 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE,
COLORADO CAN EXPECT 103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE EXPECTED NEAR
100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 124 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON JANUARY 1.  STORED WATER IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 118
PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

   North Platte Streamflow Fcst          South Platte Streamflow Fcst

 
PRECIPITATION MAPS
December 2014  WY 2015
December 2014 Precipitation Percent of 1981-2010 Average WY2015 Precipitation as Percent of 1981-2010 Average
December 2014 Basin Mean Precipitation          WY2015 Basin Mean Precipitation
December 2014 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation      WY2015 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation