Navigation Support Season Outlook
Navigation Support Season Outlook
Though snowpack has improved over the past month, the runoff forecast continues to run below average for most of the Missouri River Basin. This leads to a projected flow support release of 4,400 cfs below full service. The United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) will announce the official release after the March 15 storage check. Releases are based on actual storage and not projected runoff.
In response to cold temperatures and ice formation, USACE did increase releases from Gavins Point to 14,000 cfs from 12,000 cfs on multiple occasions throughout January and February. This is an important action to ensure water supply and energy needs are met during high demand stretches. USACE has indicated these increased releases have little to no impact on forecasted navigation support releases.
The March to May outlook does not show strong indicators of above or below normal precipitation throughout the basin, although La Nina does sometimes lead to more dry conditions across the plains.
While these forecasts point to a lower risk of flooding below Gavins Point, it is important to note localized weather events below Gavins Point and on unregulated tributaries can cause significant flooding, similar to 2024.
