Little Snake River Basin
January 1997

Snow
Snowfall has been good across the basin this year. Currently the basin is 158 percent of average for the year and 81 percent ahead of last year at this time. All of the reporting sites are above average at this time. For more information see Basin Summary of Snow Courses at beginning of this report.

Precipitation
Precipitation across the basin is also much above average. The water year-to-date basin precipitation is currently standing at 153 percent of average (54 percent more than last year). December precipitation figures are also good with only 1 site below average for the month ; Baggs reported only 10 percent of average precipitation for December. December precipitation was 86 percent above average (149 percent more than last year).

Streamflow
Stream yield, based on the 50 percent probability, is forecast to be 39 percent above average near Slater and 37 percent near Dixon. Near Slater the Little Snake should yield about 215,000 acre feet and near Dixon it should be about 450,000 acre feet. 
==================================================================================================================================
                                                     LITTLE SNAKE RIVER BASIN
                                               Streamflow Forecasts - January 1, 1997
==================================================================================================================================
                                              |  <<====== 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       173       198    |      215       139    |       232       257            155
                                                                    |                       |
LITTLE SNAKE R nr Dixon              APR-JUL       333       403    |      450       137    |       497       567            329
                                                                    |                       |
==================================================================================================================================
                        LITTLE SNAKE RIVER BASIN                        |                LITTLE SNAKE RIVER BASIN
             Reservoir Storage (1000 AF) - End of December              |        Watershed Snowpack Analysis - January 1, 1997
==================================================================================================================================
                                      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       181       158
                                                                        |
==================================================================================================================================
 * 90%, 70%, 30%, and 10% chances of exceeding are the probabilities that the actual flow 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 flow - actual flow may be affected by upstream water management.
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