Water Supply Statement for the Missouri River Basin issued for October 2017

Missouri Basin River Forecast Center
Water Supply Statement
Issued in cooperation with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service
Issued:  November 17, 2017

UPPER MISSOURI BASIN

OCTOBER PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM BELOW TO ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS THE 
UPPER MISSOURI BASIN.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI 
BASIN INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY, 118 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 265 PERCENT; 
LOWER MILK, 122 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 61 PERCENT; TOSTON TO 
FT. PECK, 115 PERCENT.

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA:  LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 173 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 108 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 19 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 99 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED WATER.
THE  MAJOR  HYDROELECTRIC  RESERVOIRS  IN  MONTANA (CANYON  FERRY AND
FORT PECK) HAD MONTHEND STORAGE IN THE ABOVE AVERAGE RANGE; 95 AND
115 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.

YELLOWSTONE BASIN

PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WAS ABOUT 72 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE IN THE WIND RIVER BASIN ABOVE BOYSEN RESERVOIR, 59 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN, 53 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
IN THE BIGHORN BASIN, AND 56 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE LITTLE
BIGHORN BASINS-UPPER TONGUE BASINS, 56 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE
POWDER RIVER BASIN, AND 41 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE LOWER
YELLOWSTONE BASIN.

MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 104 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR ON
THE WYOMING/MONTANA BORDER.
 

PLATTE BASIN

PRECIPITATION DURING OCTOBER IN THE PLATTE BASIN WAS NEAR
AVERAGE. OCTOBER PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 124 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE
NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY
RESERVOIR PRECIPITATION WAS 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH
PLATTE BASIN BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 72 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION. THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD
111 PERCENT OF AVERAGE OCTOBER PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS
HAD 94 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN STORED WATER WAS 120 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE.

PRECIPITATION MAPS

October 2017	WY 2017
October 2017 Precipitation Percent of 1981-2010 Average	WY2018 Precipitation as Percent of 1981-2010 Average
October 2017 Basin Mean Precipitation	WY2018 Basin Mean Precipitation
October 2017 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation	WY2018 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation