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  • Spring precipitation improves Missouri River Basin runoff forecast

    Late season plains snowpack accumulation and subsequent melting led to increased runoff throughout the upper Missouri River Basin during April. For the month, runoff was 4.7 million acre-feet, 159% of average, for the basin above Sioux City, IA. The annual runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, IA is 26.9 MAF, 105% of average, and 0.5 MAF higher than last month’s forecast. However, soil moisture remains slightly below normal in eastern Montana and the western Dakotas, and well below normal in Nebraska. Even with the plains snowmelt, soils dried out in late April over a large portion of the upper basin.

  • Missouri River Spring Virtual Public Meeting - Make Up - April 20

    A virtual make up meeting has been scheduled for April 20 at 1 p.m. after two in-person meetings were canceled due to weather on April 4. The virtual meeting can be accessed at the QR code and the url in the graphic.

  • Upper basin runoff forecast improves with spring precipitation

    The latest 2023 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa is showing improvement. The 2023 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 26.4 million acre-feet (MAF), 103% of average. The runoff forecast is based on current soil moisture conditions, plains snowpack, mountain snowpack, and long-term precipitation and temperature outlooks. March runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 1.7 MAF, 57% of average.    

  • Missouri River Spring Public Meetings in South Dakota CANCELED

    Missouri River Public Meetings scheduled for April 4, in Fort Pierre and Lower Brule, South Dakota have been canceled due to the forecast blizzard.

  • Water managers begin spring spill to benefit juvenile salmon

    Federal water managers will begin spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water over spillways instead of through turbines during annual “spring spill” operations at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers.

  • Frigid temps increase power demand while Army dams balance needs

    With frigid temperatures and near record-setting snow accumulation in some areas of the Pacific Northwest, Army dams responded by producing power to keep the lights and heat on. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 21 dams in the Columbia and Willamette river basins that ramp up power production to keep the grid stable during high demands.