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 10, 2015

 

 

  

 Missouri River Basin Streamflow Fcst as of March 1, 2015   Missouri River Basin Mountain Snowpack as of March 1, 2015

 

Upper Missouri Basin

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN AS OF
MARCH 1 WAS NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE TOSTON,
MONTANA WAS 112 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK BETWEEN TOSTON
AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 99 PERCENT.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE
ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 65 PERCENT.
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN RANGED FROM 
BELOW TO ABOVE AVERAGE.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI 
BASIN INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY,  101 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 72 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 187 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 80 PERCENT; TOSTON TO
FT. PECK, 105 PERCENT.

 

February 2015 Upper Missouri Mean Precip                     Oct-Feb WY2015 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 81 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER
FLOWS.  RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 82 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  
 


     Upper Missouri March 1, 2015 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 120 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 86 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 57 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 193 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; 103 AND 119 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.


Yellowstone Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS ABOVE AVERAGE
ON MARCH 1. THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS
106 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 101, 111, AND 103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE,
RESPECTIVELY. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE
104 AND 126 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.


PRECIPITATION DURING FEBRUARY WAS NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE UPPER
YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 109 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED 83 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 160 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 142 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED 156 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 141 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.



 February 2015 Yellowstone Mean Precip                    Oct-Feb 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 98 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 101 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOWS IN THE
POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 110 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 126 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 132 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 111 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.

 


     Yellowstone March 1, 2015 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

Platte Basin 

THE HIGH ELEVATION  SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON MARCH 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE  BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 84 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 110 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS ABOVE  
AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR 
WAS 84 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE 
RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR PRECIPITATION WAS 122 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. 
THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 152 PERCENT OF AVERAGE 
PRECIPITATION.  THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 251 
PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 104 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION.




 

 February 2015 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Feb WY2015 Platte Mean Precip

 

STREAM FLOW IN THE PLATTE BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE BELOW TO NEAR
AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.
RUNOFF FOR STREAMS ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT
70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE
BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 55 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE,
COLORADO CAN EXPECT 90 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 117 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON MARCH 1.  STORED WATER IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 128
PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

   North Platte Streamflow Fcst          South Platte Streamflow Fcst
 
PRECIPITATION MAPS
February 2015  WY 2015
February 2015 Precipitation Percent of 1981-2010 Average WY2015 Precipitation as Percent of 1981-2010 Average
February 2015 Basin Mean Precipitation          WY2015 Basin Mean Precipitation
February 2015 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation      WY2015 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation