March 1, 2010 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
MARCH 1 WAS NEAR AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACK ABOVE
TOSTON, MONTANA WAS 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACK
BETWEEN TOSTON AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 74 PERCENT. THE
SNOW PACK IN THE ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 70 PERCENT.
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE UPPER
MISSOURI BASIN. BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN
INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY, 38 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 77 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 61 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 55 PERCENT; TOSTON TO
FT. PECK, 82 PERCENT.
February 2010 Upper Missouri Mean Precip Oct-Feb WY2010 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 78 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER FLOWS.
RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 59 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FOR THE
MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA. FORECASTS FOR THE MILK
RIVER BASIN CALL FOR AROUND 73 PERCENT OF AVERAGE SPRING SUMMER RUNOFF.
Upper Missouri March 1, 2010 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts
OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 116 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 110 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 48 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 78 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; 105 AND 83 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 53 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE RUNOFF IN FEBRUARY.
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 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 64, 67, AND 57 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.
THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE 73 AND 84 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.
DURING FEBRUARY THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 65 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED
109 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 77 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 109 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE. THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED
89 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 91 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
FORECAST STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN IS IN THE BELOW
AVERAGE RANGE FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER. RUNOFF AT
BILLINGS, MONTANA IS EXPECTED TO BE 55 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, WITH
A PROBABLE RANGE BETWEEN 36 AND 88 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. STREAM
FLOW FOR THE WIND-BIGHORN BASIN ABOVE ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS
FORECAST TO BE ABOUT 31 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH A PROBABLE RANGE
OF 15 TO 78 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 58 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH
A REASONABLY LIKELY RANGE OF 23 TO 104 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW.
FLOWS IN THE POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 46 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WITH A REASONABLY LIKELY RANGE OF 18 TO 102 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE.
Yellowstone March 1, 2010 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts
MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 96 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 110 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.
AS INDICATED BY THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL LONG TERM GAGING STATIONS,
THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER AT CORWIN SPINGS, MONTANA HAD AN ESTIMATED 85
PERCENT OF AVERAGE RUNOFF IN FEBRUARY. THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER AT
BILLINGS, MONTANA HAD AN ESTIMATED 86 PERCENT OF AVERAGE RUNOFF.
Platte Basin
THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
85 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON MARCH 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 81 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 82 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS AVERAGE TO ABOVE
AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION IN FEBRUARY IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 83 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE NORTH
PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR
PRECIPITATION WAS 91 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 168 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 145 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 183 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION.
February 2010 Platte Mean Precip Oct-Feb WY2010 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
55 TO 98 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE
BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 36 TO 100 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE,
COLORADO CAN EXPECT 55 TO 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE EXPECTED TO
BE ABOUT 60 TO 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 104 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON MARCH 1.
North Platte Streamflow Fcst South Platte Streamflow Fcst
