Missouri Basin River Forecast Center
Water Supply Statement
Issued in cooperation with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service
Issued:  May 13, 2013

 


           May 1, 2013 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
MAY 1 WAS NEAR AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK ABOVE TOSTON,
MONTANA WAS 93 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK BETWEEN TOSTON
AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 103 PERCENT.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE
ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 126 PERCENT.

APRIL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN WAS ABOVE TO BELOW
AVERAGE.  BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN
INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY, 186 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 64 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 44 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 117 PERCENT; TOSTON TO
FT. PECK, 81 PERCENT.

 


April 2013 Upper Missouri Mean Precip                     Oct-Apr WY2013 Upper Missouri Mean Precip

 

STREAM FLOW IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE NEAR OR
SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  THE ST.
MARY RIVER IS FORECAST TO HAVE 114 PERCENT OF AVERAGE MAY-SEPTEMBER
FLOWS.  RUNOFF IS EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 84 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  

 

 
     Upper Missouri May 1, 2013 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA:  LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 115 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 97 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 63 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 123 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED WATER.
THE  MAJOR  HYDROELECTRIC  RESERVOIRS  IN  MONTANA (CANYON  FERRY AND
FORT PECK) HAD MONTHEND STORAGE IN THE AVERAGE
RANGE; 96 AND 97 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.
 


Yellowstone Basin
 
THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY 
BELOW AVERAGE ON MAY 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN 
WAS 103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND, BIGHORN, AND
SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 92, 115, AND 94 PERCENT OF AVERAGE,
RESPECTIVELY.  THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER BASINS WERE
106 AND 130 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.

PRECIPITATION DURING APRIL WAS MAINLY ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE
RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 124 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE LOWER YELLOWSTONE BASIN REPORTED 81 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE BIGHORN BASIN RECEIVED 147 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
WHILE THE WIND RIVER BASIN RECEIVED 179 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE LITTLE BIGHORN - UPPER TONGUE BASIN RECEIVED 135 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE AND THE POWDER RIVER HAD 102 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
 



Yellowstone Basin

 
  April 2013 Yellowstone Mean Precip                    Oct-Apr WY2013 Yellowstone Mean Precip

 
STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN IS FORECAST NEAR TO BELOW 
AVERAGE FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  STREAM
FLOW FOR THE WIND-BIGHORN BASIN ABOVE ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS
FORECAST TO BE ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  FLOWS IN THE
POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

MONTHEND STORAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR WAS 102 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
STORED WATER IN BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR WAS 125 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 111 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR.

 


     Yellowstone May 1, 2013 Spring and Summer Streamflow Forecasts

 

Platte Basin

 


THE HIGH ELEVATION  SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
91 PERCENT OF AVERAGE ON MAY 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH
PLATTE  BASIN BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 91 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SNOW PACK IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 94 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

APRIL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS NEAR TO ABOVE 
AVERAGE. PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE
SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 217 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE
NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY RESERVOIR
PRECIPITATION WAS 153 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 96 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD 136 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS HAD 77 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
APRIL PRECIPITATION.

 

April 2013 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Apr WY2013 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
80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAM FLOWS FOR THE NORTH PLATTE
BELOW SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE FORECAST TO BE 45 TO 65 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE. STREAMS IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE,
COLORADO CAN EXPECT 85 TO 95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN FLOWS ARE EXPECTED VARY FROM
75 TO 95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.

STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 87 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
ON MAY 1.  STORED WATER IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 90
PERCENT OF AVERAGE.


   North Platte Streamflow Fcst          South Platte Streamflow Fcst

 
         Precipitation Maps


     April 2013       Oct-Apr WY 2013  
                          
April 2013 Precipitation Percent of 1971-2000 Average    Oct-Apr  WY2013 Precipitation as Percent of 1971-2000 Average

 April 2013 Basin Mean Precipitation                     Oct-Apr WY2013 Basin Mean Precipitation

                               
  April 2013 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation          Oct-Apr WY2013 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation
      
 

 
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