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:  December 12, 2008

 

UPPER MISSOURI BASIN

NOVEMBER PRECIPITATION WAS MOSTLY ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS
THE UPPER MISSOURI BASIN. BASIN PRECIPITATION SUMMARIES FOR THE MISSOURI
BASIN INCLUDE: MILK ST. MARY, 41 PERCENT; MILK CANADA, 129 PERCENT;
LOWER MILK, 165 PERCENT; ABOVE TOSTON, 120 PERCENT; TOSTON TO FT. PECK,
146 PERCENT.

 

OF THE FOUR MAJOR IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS IN MONTANA: LIMA RESERVOIR
HAD 97 PERCENT AVERAGE STORAGE, CLARK CANYON WAS HOLDING 65 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE WATER, GIBSON RESERVOIR HAD 101 PERCENT OF AVERAGE STORED
WATER, AND FRESNO RESERVOIR HAD 104 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 66 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 66 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE RUNOFF IN NOVEMBER.

 

YELLOWSTONE BASIN


PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER WAS ABOUT 46 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE IN THE WIND RIVER BASIN ABOVE BOYSEN RESERVOIR, 69 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE IN THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE BASIN, 77 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
IN THE BIGHORN BASIN, AND 107 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE LITTLE
BIGHORN BASINS-UPPER TONGUE BASINS, 91 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE
POWDER RIVER BASIN, AND 117 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE LOWER
YELLOWSTONE BASIN.

MONTHEND STORAGE WAS 106 PERCENT OF AVERAGE AT BIGHORN RESERVOIR ON THE
WYOMING/MONTANA BORDER.


RUNOFF DURING NOVEMBER IN THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER WAS 98 PERCENT
OF THE 1971 TO 2000 AVERAGE AT CORWIN SPRINGS, MONTANA AND 98
PERCENT OF THAT AVERAGE AT BILLINGS, MONTANA.
 

 

PLATTE BASIN


PRECIPITATION DURING NOVEMBER IN THE PLATTE BASIN WAS BELOW
AVERAGE. NOVEMBER PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN
ABOVE SEMINOE RESERVOIR WAS 72 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IN THE
NORTH PLATTE BASIN BETWEEN SEMINOE RESERVOIR AND GUERNSY
RESERVOIR PRECIPITATION WAS 54 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. THE NORTH
PLATTE BASIN BELOW GUERNSY RESERVOIR HAD 61 PERCENT OF AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION. THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN HAD
40 PERCENT OF AVERAGE OCTOBER PRECIPITATION WHEREAS THE PLAINS
HAD 61 PERCENT OF AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

 

STORED WATER IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN STORED WATER WAS 92 PERCENT
OF AVERAGE.

 

 

PRECIPITATION MAPS
November 2008  WY 2009
November 2008 Precipitation Percent of 1971-2000 Average WY2009 Precipitation as Percent of 1971-2000 Average
November 2008 Basin Mean Precipitation          WY2009 Basin Mean Precipitation
November 2008 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation      WY2009 MBRFC Basin Mean Precipitation