So far, 2015 has been warmer and dryer than normal across much of the Western United States and that’s having an impact on the Missouri River.
About 75 percent of the spring and summer runoff into the Mighty Mo comes from the mountain snow pack stored in the Northern Rockies.
But this year there was less precipitation, and warm days in January and February caused much of the ice and snow in lower elevations to melt early.
Jody Farhat is with the Army Corps of Engineers. She says the Corps has now decreased its runoff forecast for 2015.
“The combination of the warmer than normal temperatures and the dry lack of precipitation has greatly diminished the runoff for this year,” says Farhat
Farhat says the runoff forecast could change with spring rains.
She says at this time uses like recreation and downstream barge traffic won’t be impacted--due to adequate storage in the river's reservoir system.
She says that could change if dry weather continues into the long term.
