Little Snake River Basin (10)
February 1998

Snow
Snowfall has been much below average across the basin this year. Currently the basin snow water equivalent (SWE) is 88 percent of average for the year and 46 percent behind last year at this time. For more information see Basin Summary of Snow Courses at beginning of this report.

Precipitation
Precipitation across the basin has been close to average. The Little Snake River basin water-year-to-date precipitation is currently 96 percent of average (31 percent less than last year). January precipitation was 28 percent above average (118 percent of last year) for the 5 reporting stations. All sites reported above average precipitation for the month.

Streamflow
Stream yield, based on the 50 percent probability, is forecast to be 88 percent of average near Slater and 87 percent of average near Dixon. Near Slater the Little Snake should yield about 137,000 acre feet and near Dixon it should be about 285,000 acre feet.
==================================================================================================================================
                                                     LITTLE SNAKE RIVER BASIN
                                               Streamflow Forecasts - February 1, 1998
==================================================================================================================================
                                              |  <<====== Drier ======  Future Conditions  =======  Wetter =====>>  |             
                                              |                                                                     |
  Forecast Point                     Forecast |  ==================== Chance Of Exceeding * ======================  |
                                      Period  |    90%       70%    |  50% (Most Probable)  |      30%       10%    |  30-Yr Avg.
                                              | (1000AF)  (1000AF)  |   (1000AF)  (% AVG.)  |    (1000AF)  (1000AF) |    (1000AF)
====================================================================|=======================|=====================================
LITTLE SNAKE R nr Slater             APR-JUL        90       118    |      137        88    |       156       184            155
                                                                    |                       |
LITTLE SNAKE R nr Dixon              APR-JUL       164       236    |      285        87    |       334       406            329
                                                                    |                       |
==================================================================================================================================
                        LITTLE SNAKE RIVER BASIN                        |                LITTLE SNAKE RIVER BASIN
             Reservoir Storage (1000 AF) - End of January               |        Watershed Snowpack Analysis - February 1, 1998
==================================================================================================================================
                                      Usable |  *** Usable Storage ***  |                            Number     This Year as % of
Reservoir                            Capacity|  This      Last          |   Watershed                  of       =================
                                             |  Year      Year     Avg  |                          Data Sites   Last Yr   Average
========================================================================|=========================================================
                                                                        |   LITTLE SNAKE RIVER          6        56        91
                                                                        |
==================================================================================================================================
 * 90%, 70%, 30%, and 10% chances of exceeding are the probabilities that the actual volume will exceed the volumes in the table.

The average is computed for the 1961-1990 base period.

(1) - The values listed under the 10% and 90% Chance of Exceeding are actually 5% and 95% exceedance levels.                  
(2) - The value is natural volume - actual volume may be affected by upstream water management.


To February 1998 Basin Outlook Report Contents Page