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:  November 12, 2009

 

UPPER MISSOURI BASIN

OCTOBER PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI
BASIN.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN INCLUDE:
MILK ST. MARY, 222 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 227 PERCENT; LOWER MILK, 180
PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 177 PERCENT; TOSTON TO FT. PECK, 218 PERCENT.

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA:  LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 112 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 116 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 39 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 77 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; 100 AND 79 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 68 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE RUNOFF IN OCTOBER.

 

YELLOWSTONE BASIN

PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WAS ABOUT 192 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE IN THE WIND RIVER BASIN ABOVE BOYSEN RESERVOIR, 143 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN, 141 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
IN THE BIGHORN BASIN, 149 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE LITTLE BIGHORN-
-UPPER TONGUE BASINS, 137 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE POWDER RIVER
BASIN, AND 172 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN.

MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 109 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR ON
THE WYOMING/MONTANA BORDER.

RUNOFF DURING OCTOBER 2009 IN THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER WAS 101 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AT CORWIN SPRINGS AND 103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BILLINGS, MONTANA.
(HTTP:/MT.WATER.USGS.GOV/PUB/NWC.RELEASE.HTML)

 

PLATTE BASIN

PRECIPITATION DURING OCTOBER IN THE PLATTE BASIN WAS ABOVE AVERAGE.
OCTOBER PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR
WAS 192 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE
RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR PRECIPITATION WAS 195 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 277 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION. THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 182
PERCENT OF AVERAGE OCTOBER PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 229
PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

 

PRECIPITATION MAPS
October 2009  WY 2010
October 2009 Precipitation Percent of 1971-2000 Average WY2010 Precipitation as Percent of 1971-2000 Average
October 2009 Basin Mean Precipitation          WY2010 Basin Mean Precipitation
October 2009 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation      WY2010 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation