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 15, 2016

 

 

  

 Missouri River Basin Streamflow Forecast as of January 1, 2016       Missouri River Basin Mountain Snowpack as of January 1, 2016

 

Upper Missouri Basin

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN AS OF
JANUARY 1 WAS NEAR TO BELOW AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE TOSTON,
MONTANA WAS 102 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE FORT PECK,
MONTANA WAS 121 PERCENT.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE ST MARY BASIN WAS 87 
PERCENT, AND THE AND MILK RIVER BASIN WAS 65 PERCENT.
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN WAS 
ABOVE AVERAGE.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN
INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY,  214 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 104 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 154 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 157 PERCENT; TOSTON TO
FT. PECK, 134 PERCENT.

 

December 2015 Upper Missouri Mean Precip                     Oct-Dec WY2016 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 90 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  

 


     Upper Missouri January 1, 2016 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 73 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 72 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 39 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 130 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; 92 AND 115 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.



Yellowstone Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS BELOW
AVERAGE ON JANUARY 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS
96 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 76, 76, AND 97 PERCENT OF AVERAGE,
RESPECTIVELY. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE
47 AND 56 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.


PRECIPITATION DURING DECEMBER WAS MAINLY BELOW AVERAGE.  THE UPPER
YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 143 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED 72 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 87 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 68 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED 54 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.



 December 2015 Yellowstone Mean Precip                    Oct-Dec WY2016 Yellowstone Mean Precip
 
FORECAST STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN IS BELOW
AVERAGE RANGE FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  STREAM
FLOW FOR THE WIND-BIGHORN BASIN ABOVE ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS
FORECAST TO BE ABOUT 62 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 65 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOWS IN THE
POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 47 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 108 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 119 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 101 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.

 


     Yellowstone January 1, 2016 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

Platte Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION  SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON JANUARY 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE  BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 116 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS ABOVE  
AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION DURING DECEMBER IN THE NORTH PLATTE
BASIN ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE
NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR
PRECIPITATION WAS 146 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 260 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 129 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 228 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
DECEMBER PRECIPITATION.




 

 December 2015 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Dec WY2016 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
95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE
BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 85 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE,
COLORADO CAN EXPECT 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE EXPECTED NEAR
105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON JANUARY 1.  STORED WATER IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 130
PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

   North Platte Streamflow Fcst          South Platte Streamflow Fcst

 
PRECIPITATION MAPS
December 2015  WY 2016
December 2015 Precipitation Percent of 1981-2010 Average WY2016 Precipitation as Percent of 1981-2010 Average
December 2015 Basin Mean Precipitation          WY2016 Basin Mean Precipitation
December 2015 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation      WY2016 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation