[5] Latest Water Supply Forecast: 95 Percent Of Average At The Dalles

The Jan. 8 water supply forecast from the National Weather Service's Northwest River Forecast Center has pegged the January-to-July water supply at about 95 percent of average at The Dalles and 98 percent at Grand Coulee.

That's despite plenty of precipitation this month that, so far, includes more than an inch in the Columbia Basin above Coulee--101 percent of average, and 111 percent at The Dalles.

Other river basins in the Northwest are faring much worse this winter. On the Snake River, Brownlee Reservoir inflows for April through July are estimated to be about 70 percent, while further downstream, the January-to-July flows at Lower Granite are expected to be around 91 percent of average, thanks to plenty of snow in the Clearwater drainage--103 percent of the average snow-water equivalent for that region--and the Salmon River Basin is 116 percent above average.

January-to-July inflows to Montana's Libby and Hungry Horse reservoirs are estimated at 95 percent and 88 percent respectively, with less-than-average snowpack in most western Montana basins. However, the Kootenai River Basin has 102 percent of its normal snow-water equivalent at this time.

Most Oregon basins are showing plenty of snow and running well above average, including the Umatilla, with 123 percent above average, and the John Day Basin, at 117 percent of average.

In Washington, the Olympic range has nearly twice its average snowpack for this time of year, while the Upper and Lower Yakima basins are running well above average as well, at 112 percent and 122 percent of average.

The Columbia, above Methow, is just one percent above average for this time of year, but Cascade drainages near Seattle are 136 percent of average, while the Skagit in the north Cascades is running 116 percent of average snow-water equivalent. -B. R.

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