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, 2017

 

 

                   March 1, 2017 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

                                       

                         Missouri River Basin Mountain Snowpack as of March 1, 2017

 

Upper Missouri Basin


THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN AS OF
MARCH 1 WAS BELOW TO NEAR AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE FORT PECK,
MONTANA WAS 95 PERCENT.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE ST MARY BASIN WAS 112 
PERCENT, AND THE MILK RIVER BASIN WAS 70 PERCENT.

FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN WAS 
ABOVE AVERAGE.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE 
MISSOURI BASIN INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY,  231 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 
223 PERCENT;LOWER MILK, 203 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 153 PERCENT; 
TOSTON TO FT. PECK, 168 PERCENT.

 

February 2017 Upper Missouri Mean Precip            Oct-Feb WY2017 Upper Missouri Mean Precip


 

STREAM FLOW IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE 
NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  THE ST.
MARY RIVER IS FORECAST TO HAVE 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER
FLOWS.  RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  

 


  Upper Missouri March 1, 2017 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 116 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 84 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 85 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 151 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED WATER.


THE MAJOR HYDROELECTRIC RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA (CANYON FERRY AND
FORT PECK) HAD MONTHEND STORAGE IN THE AVERAGE TO ABOVE AVERAGE
RANGE; 99 AND 118 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
130 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 219, 129, AND 160 PERCENT OF AVERAGE,
RESPECTIVELY. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE
101 AND 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.



PRECIPITATION DURING FEBRUARY WAS NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE UPPER
YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 215 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED 113 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 234 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 295 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED 96 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 89 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.




 February 2017 Yellowstone Mean Precip                 Oct-Feb WY2017 Yellowstone Mean Precip
 

FORECAST STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN RANGED FROM NEAR
TO ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  STREAM
FLOW FOR THE BIGHORN RIVER AT ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS
FORECAST TO BE ABOUT 156 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 75 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOWS IN THE
POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 67 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 113 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.

 


    Yellowstone March 1, 2017 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

Platte Basin 


THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
123 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON MARCH 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE  BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 113 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

PRECIPITATION DURING FEBRUARY IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE
BASIN WAS 148 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE LOWER NORTH PLATTE BASIN 
PRECIPITATION WAS 182 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE PLAINS 
BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 166 PERCENT.  THE SOUTH PLATTE MOUNTAINS 
HAD 84 PERCENT WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD  88 PERCENT OF AVERAGE 
FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION.




 

 February 2017 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Feb WY2017 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
125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN 
ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE, COLORADO CAN EXPECT 65 PERCENT OF AVERAGE 
FLOW. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE 
EXPECTED NEAR 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.


STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON MARCH 1.  


   North Platte Streamflow Fcst          South Platte Streamflow Fcst


 
PRECIPITATION MAPS
February 2017  WY 2017
February 2017 Precipitation Percent of 1981-2010 Average WY2017 Precipitation as Percent of 1981-2010 Average
February 2017 Basin Mean Precipitation          WY2017 Basin Mean Precipitation
February 2017 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation      WY2017 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation