Warm, dry March decreases river volumes
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News from the USDA
BOZEMAN — Just when it seemed like the snowpack was on the right track to rebound from the dry December and January, March yielded substantially different weather patterns than the cold, wet conditions experienced during February.
Snowpack percentages on March 1 were at a high point for the year, boosted by well above normal snowfall leading to near to above normal snowpack for almost all Montana river basins. “Unfortunately, March weather started off on the opposite trajectory. Warm, dry air spilled into the state during the first week of the month and many mountain SNOTEL sites matched record daily average temperatures on March 5,” said Lucas Zukiewicz, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service water supply specialist for Montana. The weather patterns of the first week foreshadowed the weather patterns for the month. While seasonal temperatures returned for brief periods, monthly temperatures recorded at most mountain locations were above normal for March.
During March, precipitation at both mountain and valley locations was well below average.
Snowpack in some of the river sub-basins located in northwestern Montana have declined from near normal to below normal on April 1.
“As always, our runoff prospects and timing are directly tied to the weather experienced in the coming two to three months,” said Zukiewicz. Mountain snowpack historically peaks at mid and high elevations during April, so the coming month will be critical to Montana’s water resources this summer and beyond. “A return to normal temperatures and wetter weather patterns would be more than welcome at this point to slow the transition of the mountain snowpack towards melt and satisfy the existing soil moisture deficits present in many valley and plains locations,” said Zukiewicz.
A full report of conditions for April 1 can be found in the monthly Water Supply Outlook Report available on the Montana Snow Survey website. In addition, real-time snow survey data can be found at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/mt/snow/
