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:  March 15, 2016

 

 

  

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

 

Upper Missouri Basin

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN AS OF
MARCH 1 WAS NEAR TO BELOW AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE TOSTON,
MONTANA WAS 103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK BETWEEN TOSTON
AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 88 PERCENT.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE
ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 65 PERCENT.
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN WAS 
BELOW TO ABOVE AVERAGE.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN
INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY,  53 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 30 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 196 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 64 PERCENT; TOSTON TO
FT. PECK, 68 PERCENT.

 

February 2016 Upper Missouri Mean Precip                     Oct-Feb WY2016 Upper Missouri Mean Precip


STREAM FLOW IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE 
BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  THE ST.
MARY RIVER IS FORECAST TO HAVE 88 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER
FLOWS.  RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 83 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  
 


     Upper Missouri March 1, 2016 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 70 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 81 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 63 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 145 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED WATER.
THE MAJOR HYDROELECTRIC RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA (CANYON FERRY AND
FORT PECK) HAD MONTHEND STORAGE NEAR AVERAGE RANGE; 99 AND 117 PERCENT.


Yellowstone Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS BELOW AVERAGE
ON MARCH 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS
88 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 82, 82, AND 93 PERCENT OF AVERAGE,
RESPECTIVELY. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE
62 AND 72 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.


PRECIPITATION DURING FEBRUARY WAS ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE UPPER
YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 52 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED 135 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 51 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 68 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED 122 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 129 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.



 February 2016 Yellowstone Mean Precip                    Oct-Feb 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 68 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 58 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOWS IN THE
POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 49 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 109 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 122 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.

 


     Yellowstone March 1, 2016 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

Platte Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION  SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
91 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON MARCH 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE  BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 102 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS NEAR TO ABOVE  
AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION DURING FEBRUARY IN THE NORTH PLATTE
BASIN WAS ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 73 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE
NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR
PRECIPITATION WAS 85 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 179 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 176 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 245 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION.




 

 February 2016 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Feb WY2016 Platte Mean Precip

 

STREAM FLOW IN THE PLATTE BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE BELOW
AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.
RUNOFF FOR STREAMS ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT
85 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE
BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 70 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE,
COLORADO CAN EXPECT 93 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE EXPECTED NEAR
98 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON MARCH 1.  STORED WATER IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 124
PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

   North Platte Streamflow Fcst          South Platte Streamflow Fcst

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