Missouri Basin River Forecast Center
Water Supply Statement
Issued in cooperation with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service
Issued:  January 11, 2007


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
JANUARY 1 WAS MAINLY AVERAGE TO SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE.  THE SNOW
PACK ABOVE TOSTON,  MONTANA WAS 82 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW
PACK BETWEEN TOSTON AND FORT PECK, MONTANA WAS 85 PERCENT.  THE
SNOW PACK IN THE ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS WAS 79 PERCENT.

DECEMBER PRECIPITATION WAS MAINLY BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS
THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN. BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE
MISSOURI BASIN INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY,  50 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 95
PERCENT; LOWER MILK, 53 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 70 PERCENT; TOSTON
TO FT. PECK, 64 PERCENT.


Dec 2006 Upper Missouri Mean Precip                     Oct-Dec WY2007 Upper Missouri Mean Precip

STREAM FLOW IN THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE AVERAGE
DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  THE ST. MARY RIVER IS FORECAST
TO HAVE 94 PERCENT OF AVERAGE APRIL-SEPTEMBER FLOWS.  RUNOFF IS
EXPECTED TO RANGE AROUND 90 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FOR THE MISSOURI BASIN
ABOVE FORT PECK, MONTANA.  FORECASTS FOR THE MILK RIVER BASIN CALL FOR
AROUND 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE SPRING SUMMER RUNOFF.

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA:  LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 128 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 72 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 93 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 80 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; 92 AND 56 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WATER, RESPECTIVELY.

THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY LONG TERM GAGING STATION, ON THE MARIAS
RIVER NEAR SHELBY, MONTANA HAD AN ESTIMATED 95 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
RUNOFF IN DECEMBER.

Yellowstone Basin

THE HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN WAS BELOW
AVERAGE ON JANUARY 1.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE
BASIN WAS 77 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE SNOW PACKS IN THE WIND,
BIGHORN, AND SHOSHONE BASINS WERE 71, 77, AND 70 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.  THE SNOW PACKS IN THE TONGUE AND POWDER
BASINS WERE 80 AND 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, RESPECTIVELY.

PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WAS BELOW AVERAGE TO
MUCH BELOW AVERAGE.  THE RANGE WAS FROM 80 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN
THE BIGHORN RIVER BASIN TO 31 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE POWDER
RIVER BASIN.

  December 2006 Yellowstone Mean Precip                                                Oct-Dec WY2007 Yellowstone Mean Precip

STREAM FLOW IN THE YELLOWSTONE BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE AVERAGE TO
BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  RUNOFF AT
BILLINGS, MONTANA IS EXPECTED TO BE 90 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, WITH
A PROBABLE RANGE BETWEEN 64 AND 116 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  STREAM
FLOW FOR THE WIND-BIGHORN BASIN ABOVE ST. XAVIER, MONTANA IS
FORECAST TO BE 65 TO 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH A PROBABLE RANGE
OF 21 TO 108 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW IN SUB-BASINS.  FLOW IN THE
TONGUE BASIN IS EXPECTED TO BE 77 TO 84 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH
A REASONABLY LIKELY RANGE OF 38 TO 115 PERCENT OF AVERAGE FLOW.
FLOWS IN THE POWDER RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE RANGE OF 46 TO
48 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WITH A REASONABLY LIKELY RANGE OF 3 TO 93
PERCENT.

MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BOYSEN RESERVOIR IN
WYOMING, 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR IN
WYOMING, AND 87 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR ON THE
WYOMING/MONTANA BORDER.

RUNOFF DURING DECEMBER IN THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER WAS 85 PERCENT OF
THE 1971 TO 2000 AVERAGE AT CORWIN SPRINGS AND 86 PERCENT OF THAT
AVERAGE AT BILLINGS. (HTTP:/MT.WATER.USGS.GOV/PUB/NWC.RELEASE.HTML).


Platte Basin

THE HIGH ELEVATION  SNOW PACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE BASIN WAS
103 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK IN THE NORTH  PLATTE  BASIN
BELOW SEMINOE  RESERVOIR WAS 94 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SNOW PACK
IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN WAS 130 PERCENT.

PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLATTE BASIN WAS MAINLY
ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, WITH AS MUCH AS 380
PERCENT OF AVERAGE FALLING ACROSS THE SOUTH PLATTE PLAINS.  OTHER
PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE PLATTE BASIN INCLUDE:  UPPER NORTH
PLATTE, 85 PERCENT; LOWER NORTH PLATTE, 121 PERCENT; NORTH PLATTE
PLAINS, 272 PERCENT.


December 2006 Platte Mean Precip                          Oct-Dec WY2007 Platte Mean Precip


STREAM  FLOW IN THE PLATTE BASIN IS FORECAST TO BE  AVERAGE TO
ABOVE AVERAGE DURING THE UPCOMING SPRING AND SUMMER.  RUNOFF FOR
STREAMS ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 90 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE.  STREAM FLOW FOR THE NORTH  PLATTE  BELOW SEMINOE
RESERVOIR  IS FORECAST TO BE BETWEEN 70 TO 100 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN ABOVE SOUTH PLATTE, COLORADO CAN EXPECT
ABOUT BETWEEN 120 AND 140 PERCENT OF AVERAGE  FLOW.  FOR THE
REMAINDER  OF THE SOUTH  PLATTE  BASIN  FLOWS ARE  EXPECTED TO BE
BETWEEN  100 AND 120  PERCENT OF  AVERAGE.

STORED  WATER IN THE NORTH  PLATTE  BASIN AS OF JANUARY 1 WAS 51
PERCENT OF AVERAGE.  THE SOUTH  PLATTE  BASIN HAD 77  PERCENT OF
AVERAGE STORED WATER.
   

 

                    Precipitation Maps

 
 

      December 2006                      Oct-Dec WY 2007

                          

December 2006 Precipitation Percent of 1971-2000 Average             Oct-Dec  WY2007 Precipitation as Percent of 1971-2000 Average


   December 2006 Basin Mean Precipitation                                            Oct-Dec WY2007 Basin Mean Precipitation

                               

  December 2006 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation                               Oct-Dec WY2007 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation

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