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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAK Basin Outlook Report 4-1997USDA United States =e ~ Department of ee Agriculture as a Natural Resources Conservation “=~ Basin Outlook Report April 1, 1997 The Following Organizauons Cooperate With the natural Resources Conservation Service In Snow Survey Work: Canada Federal State Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Yukon Territory Ministry of the Environment, British Columbia Department of Agriculture Forest Service Chugach National Forest Institute of Northern Forestry Department of Commerce NOAA, National Weather Service Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory Department of Defense U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineers Laboratory Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management Geological Survey Alaska Power Administration Fish and Wildlife Service National Park Service Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks Division of Mining and Water Division of Forestry Homer SWCD Upper Susitna SWCD University of Alaska Alaska Experiment Station Geophysical Institute Institute of Water Resources Alaska State Climate Center Alaska Energy Authority Alaska Railroad Municipalities Municipality of Anchorage Private Public Schools Municipality of Juneau Village of Chuathbaluk Alaska Electric, Light and Power Alaskan Weather Records Alyeska Resort, Inc. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Chugach Electric Association Copper Valley Electric Association Homer Electric Association Ketchikan Public Utilities Mid Yukon-Kuskokwim RC&D Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Fairbanks North Star Borough School District The Lake and Peninsula School District The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-2791. To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. TABLE OF CONTENTS April 1, 1997 Fydrologic)Basins\Mapm-ees-e-a-r-n-a-n-)-bomseen siete enen omer n-ne nn nl-mnon ere 4 State) General(Overview a2. sees soe oo) doe oar oe ee = 5 Interpreting Streamflow Forecasts ....... 2.00 eee eee eee 6 Streamflow Forecast and Snowmelt Runoff Index ............ vi Basin Conditions and Data Upper Yukon Basin in ciemerces enero see euler siaiiesneiicnsmonte tons 8 GentrallWukon)Basinierrir-nochaeeicnionen cloner 10 OLE: Late UF Ja =f 21 Lt een Cn Ont eon Onpnn eos Ds aCerie ts Oa e0s OnnO: OeCnOnOn ONG OnOnC a2 Western Interior Basins «1.1... eee ee ee ee 14 Arcticrand Kotzebue Basin... «2.r «2-07. sue se 1 oe 16 Norton Sound, Southwest, and Bristol Bay ........... 18 Copper Basin wcmrcrccreiocnsiarciieneoticr cient mcr aiaite oye 20 Matanuska - Susitna Basins ........ 2... eee ee eee 22 Northern Cook Inlet merrell or ae mid er 24 Kenai Peninsula . 1.1... 0... ee ee eee 26 Western GUIf Scie) recess cn toile Cie loli elle eli 28 SYeXUT Y=} to pono nonin so NON CHNOSONON COND] ON OND BOSONDNCTON GND NONCRCNONCINC 30 For more water supply and resource management Issued by Released by information, contact: Paul W. Johnson Chuck Bell Rick McClure Chief State Conservationist Hydrologist Natural Resources Conservation Service Washington, D.C. Natural Resources Conservation Service Anchorage, Alaska Natural Resources Conservation Service 949 E. 36th Avenue, Suite 400 Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4362 (907) 271-2424 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 137600" + 70°00" HYDROLOGIC BASINS ALASKA MILES ass } KOTZé BUE o 50 100 180 200 250 SOUND i, ? fe 1a “eh = 4 » & we goon 8 NORTON SOUND o* a LEGEND Basin Boundaries ww co < eS WPERAUKON yD il at aa 7 i iy SV BasiN were aN NORTON A St taamenet > sounD ‘ST MaATINCW 4 ‘SUN nevan ‘sun rat : sr comenacor* H Es ai GULF "SAND * 10 xX ocean Me nat is res ‘arenas ee ASIN C > a UW ISLAD \. 5 N vemonar wis Tht OS « a2 ona oceA sm SS hy pa dah SE Netra one UnatASRA CFS tito, gS < C an eh hF we c! fl ie Meutuy gun ° her bs ssean | israNo . -f eee 8 Pian tweron ph date © ° ye - ISLAND SOURCE: U.S.G.S. HYDROLOGIC UNIT MAP, 1987, AND TIGER/UNE ™~ a CENSUS FILES, 1900. INFORMATION FROM SCS FIELD PERSONNEL. MAP PREPARED USING AUTOMATED MAP CONSTRUCTION. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATE SYSTEM CALCULATED BY THE APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE. Oo (NATIONAL CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS CENTER, FORT WORTH, TEXAS, 1993. REVISED DECEMBER 1903 1003609 USDA, SCS, NATIONAL CARTOGRAPHY & GIS CENTER, FORT WORTH TX. 1989 GENERAL OVERVIEW April 1, 1997 SNOWPACK: The snow water equivalent increased a normal amount in Southeast. The rest of the state remained the same or dropped. The Forty Mile basin is the only basin greater than 130 percent of normal water content. Most of the basins are in the 70 to 110 percent of normal range. PRECIPITATION: Most of the precipitation fell in Southeast. Juneau received 3.60 inches, 110 percent of normal, as indicated by the National Weather Service observer. The rest of the state received very little precipitation. Fairbanks received .05 inches, 13 percent of normal, Bettles 0.0 inches, Nome .14 inches, 26 percent of normal, McGrath .31 inches, 38 percent of normal, King Salmon .17 inches, 16 percent of normal and Anchorage .01 inches, 1.5 percent of normal. TEMPERATURE: Barrow’s normal monthly temperature was 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal and Talkeetna’s was 0.9 above normal. Most of the rest of the National Weather Service sites were below normal, varying from normal at Valdez to -4.9 degrees at Bethel. Interpreting Streamflow Forecasts Introduction Each month, three forecasts are issued for each forecast point and each forecast period. Unless otherwise specified, all streamflow forecasts are for streamflow volumes that would occur naturally without any upstream influences. Water users need to know what the different forecasts represent to use the information correctly when making operational decisions. The following is an explanation of each of the forecasts. Most Probable (50 Percent Chance of Exceeding) Forecast This forecast is the best estimate of streamflow volume that can be produced given current conditions and based on the outcome of similar past situations. There is a 50 percent chance that the streamflow volume will exceed this forecast value. There is a 50 percent chance that the streamflow volume will be less than this forecast value. The most probable forecast will rarely be exactly right, due to errors resulting from future weather conditions and the forecast equation itself. This does not mean that users should not use the most probable forecast; it means that they need to evaluate existing circumstances and determine the amount of risk they are willing to take by accepting this forecast value. To Decrease the Chance of Having Too Little Water If users want to make sure there is enough water available for their operations, they might determine that a 50 percent chance of the streamflow volume being lower than the most probable forecast is too much risk to take. To reduce the risk of not having enough water available during the forecast period, users can base their operational decision on the forecast with a greater chance of being exceeded (or possibly some point in-between). This includes: The Reasonable Minimum or 90 Percent Chance of Exceeding Forecast. There is a 90 percent chance that the streamflow volume will exceed this forecast. There is a 10 percent chance the streamflow volume will be less than this forecast value. To Decrease the Chance of Having Too Much Water If users want to make sure they don’t have too much water, they might determine that a 50 percent chance of the streamflow being higher than the most probable forecast is too much of a risk to take. To reduce the risk of having too much water available during the forecast period, users can base their operational decision on the forecast with a smaller chance of being exceeded. This includes: The Reasonable Maximum or 10 Percent Chance of Exceeding Forecast. There is 10 percent chance that the streamflow volume will exceed this forecast value. There is a 90 percent chance the streamflow will be less than this forecast value. STREAMFLOW Streamflow fore _ ts of snowmelt runoff are as folluwvs: Most Forecast Forecast Point Probable (%) Period Yukon River at Eagle 94 Apr-Jul Yukon River at Stevens Village 89 Apr-Jul Tanana River at Fairbanks 98 Apr-Jul Tanana River at Nenana 96 Apr-Jul Little Chena River nr Fairbanks 92 Apr-Jul Chena River nr Two Rivers 90 Apr-Jul Salcha nr Salchaket 95 Apr-Jul Sagvanirktok River nr Pump Station 3 95 Apr-Jul Kuparuk River nr Deadhorse 95 Apr-Jul Kuskokwin River at Crooked Creek 88 Apr-Jun Gulkana River at Sourdough 80 Apr-Jul Little Susitna River nr Palmer 75 Apr-Jul Sustina River at Gold Creek 91 Apr-Jul Talkeetna River nr Talkeetna 86 Apr-Jul Willow Creek nr Willow 75 Apr-Jul Campbell Creek nr Spenard 101 Apr-Jul Ship Creek nr Anchorage 97 Apr-Jul Fritz Creek nr Homer da Apr-Jul Kenai River at Cooper Landing 92 Apr-Jul Gold Creek nr Juneau 92 Apr-Jul SNOWMELT RUNOFF INDEX (SRI For streams that no longer have stream gaging stations. Forecast Point Index Koyukuk River at Hughes -0. Caribou Creek at Chatanika + 0.6 0.1 Chulitna River nr Talkeetna -1.0 Deshka River at mouth near Willow = Ved, Montana Creek at Parks Highway -0.6 Skwentna River at Skwentna -1.5 Chuitna River nr Tyonek -1.8 Indian Creek at Indian -0.4 Bird Creek at Bird Creek -0.4 Sixmile Creek nr Hope +1.2 Resurrection Creek nr Hope -0.8 Anchor River nr Anchor Point -2.2 Deep Creek nr Ninilchik 2.2, Ninilchik River nr Ninilchik -2.2 Skagway River at Skagway -0.8 Index Key: -2 to -3 = much below average snowmelt runoff -1 to -2 = below average snowmelt runoff -1to +1 average snowmelt runoff +1 to +2 = above average snowmelt runoff +2 to +3 = much above average snowmelt runoff 7 Upper Yukon FEB MAR APR MAY since 1975 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR April 1, 1997 Upper Yukon Basin - wide Wittenore eyerauxe * ' legrees acs National Weather Service Station | (inches) lee | * Based on | 5 | _ 127— 7— 7 _ selected stations | 8 | Biol |i t985 8 3 hh hd CO | = 8 | 1991 | a ai baa — Sy Meeereara| ee | ¢€ ca | | 1 S | 3 6 os |= = ™ Average | | € 2) ere | 8 a 4 Leek — = Minimum | g | 8s a | | i 2 | 2 2-H | £ | = | 1978 ; | —K— Current & | oO } je"! — | 6 | | | SNOWCOVER: The tributaries to the Yukon River above the confluence of the Forty Mile vary from 80 percent to 102 percent of normal. While Mt. Intyre B snow course, near Whitehorse, is 125 percent of normal, the basin above Whitehorse is in the 88 percent of normal range. The area around Dawson is 101 percent of normal, the Stewart/Pelly region is 80 percent of normal and the White River is 102 percent of normal. For more information, contact the Yukon Snow Survey Program, Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada, 403-667-3104; or the Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Anchorage, 271-2424. UPPER YUREFKOWN BASIN SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR snow WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT Arrowhead Lake 3680 3/26 33 6.7 34 7.1 Atlin (B.C.) 2400 3/28 20 4.0 =o =: Beaver Creek 2150 4/02 19 3.6 15 2.8 Burns Lake 3650 3/27 29 6.3 41 9.4 Burwash Airstrip 2650 4/02 9 uae 11 1.9 Calumet 4300 3/27 37 6.8 31 6.2 Casino Creek 3500 3/27 31 5.9 25 4.7 Chair Mountain 3800 4/03 24 4.1 19 3.8 Duke River 4800 3/26 22 3.7 24 3-7 Edwards Lake 2720 3/26 28 5-9) 25 5.0 Finlayson Airstrip 3240 3/27 16 2.4 26 5.5 Fuller Lake 3700 3/26 30 6.2 33 7.2 Grizzly Creek 4000 4/01 26 5.2 22 3.9 Hoole River 3400 3/27 23 4.4 28 6.1 Jordan Lake 3050 3/27 24 4.8 23 5.3 King Solomon Dome 3550 47/02 34 6.2 27 5.2 Log Cabin (8.C.) 2880 4/01 46 11.9 47 14.9 MacIntosh 3800 3/27 24 4.1 20 3.4 Mayo Airport B 1770 3/26 21 4.3 15 2.6 Meadow Creek 4050 3/27 46 9.4 46 10.0 Midnight Dome 2900 3/27 30 6.3 22 4.3 Montana Mountain 3340 4/02 28 6.3 30 7.6 Morley Lake 2700 3/28 24 4.4 28 5.9 Mount Nansen 3250 3/27 16 2.6 15 2.4 Mt. Berdoe 3390 3/27 24 4.2 21 S25 Mt. McIntyre B 3700 3/26 33 7.0 28 6.3 Pelly Farm 1550 3/27 16 3.0 16 2.9 Plata Airstrip 2500 3/26 29 6.1 35 7.9 Rackla Lake 3400 3/26 32 7.0 32 6.7 Russell Lake 3500 3/26 33 wal 37 8.3 Satasha Lake 3630 3/27 21 4.2 19 3.4 Tagish 3550 3/26 30 5.6 24 6.6 Twin Creeks 2950 3/26 26 5.9 34 w5) White River 2500 4/03 19 4.1 17 2.9 Whitehorse Airport 2300 4/01 22 4.5 21 4.9 Williams Creek 2800 3/31 22 Ser 17 S25 Withers Lake 3200 3/26 34 7.8 35 7.6 STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. OST MOST AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX FORECAST POINT PERIOD 1Q00AF 1000AF ‘%_AVE. x YUKON RIVER at Eagle APR-JUL 34870 32825 9% 107 WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Above Whitehorse/Teslin 6 90 88 Dawson 4 130 101 Stewart/Pelly 2 77 80 White River 4 114 102 1961-90 AVERAGE ‘SNOW WATER DEPTH CONTENT 20 4.6 fir 3.3 9 1.7 37 7.9 25 4.8 22 3.8 32 6.9 25 5.4 30 5.9 46 17.3 20 3.8 42 10.0 28 5.8 24 5.3 17 3.0 23 4.2 27 5.6 33 7.7 25 5.4 33 7.4 22 5.1 REASONABLE REASONABLE 81 Central Yukon Basin N April 1, 1997 Central Yukon Basin - wide | Fort Yukon temperature * | (degrees F) snowpack ; | (inches) | = ae National Weather Service Station 1 | = * Based on 3 124 i = selected stations \o | 2 ie 2 eee Maximum | is a Ss | Wy iE 5 | = = Average | is ° $ = = Minimum | | E 4 S | \ ° T a | Current ra e 5 5 | & since 1964 =e Ss a @ A- ® OcT NOV DEC JAR? FEB MAR APR FEB MAR APR MAY SNOWCOVER: The Forty Mile River continues to be the only basin in the state with a snowpack water content greater than 130 percent of normal. The snow courses in the Porcupine Basin in Canada vary from 80 to 98 percent of normal. The Yukon River volume flow forecast at Stevens Village for the April through July period is 46,500,000 Acre-foot or 89 percent of normal. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Fairbanks, 479-2657. 10 CENTRAL YUKON BASIN SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT Borealis 1300 4/01 24 4.8 25 5.2 ce ee *Boundary 3500 3/31 31 7.4 20 4.6 24 5.0 Chicken Airstrip 1650 3/31 19 4.5 14 3.0 16 3.0 Circle City 600 3/31 27 4.5 24 3.6 24 4.3 Circle Hot Springs 860 3/31 24 4.0 19 at, 22 4.3 *Eagle Plains 2570 4/01 31 6.0 23 4.5 32 7.2 *Eagle River 1200 4/01 26 4.8 19 Sof, 28 6.0 *Fossil 1400 4/02 25 4.9 26 5.4 -- -- Five Mile 600 4/01 27 4.7 18 2.9 26 5.4 Hess Creek 1000 4/01 28 4.8 21 3.8 25 See Mission Creek 900 4/03 19 Sal 14 3.0 18 4.0 *Mt. Fairplay 3100 3/31 21 4.4 17 3.5 20 4.1 Old Crow 840 4/03 26 4.1 30 4.7 22 4.2 *Riff’s Ridge 2130 4/01 26 5-3) 21 S29) 29 5.9 Stack Pup Creek 1620 3/31 27 4.6 21 3.2 24 4.7 Thirty Mile 1350 4/01 37 8.5 31 5.6 36 8.4 *Windy Gap ; 1900 4/03 24 5.6 24 5.1 -- -- *Wolf 1300 4/02 24 4.5 19 ee a -- * Effected to some degree by wind STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD (1000AF ) (1000AF) (% AVE.) (%) (%) YUKON RIVER at~ Stevens Village APR-JUL 52500 46500 89 102 Ve) PRECIPITATION DATA ; INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT ___LAST_ YEAR AVERAGE %_OF AVERAGE Atigun Pass** 4800 4/01 5.7 5.4 8.8 65 Chandalar Shel f** 3300 4/01 5.5 4.2 5.3 104 Fort Yukon 430 3/31 3.0 oe co a Mission Creek 900 4/03 5.1 2.8 4.1 124 ** Wyoming gauge WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Forty Mile 4 152 133 Yukon Flats 2 162 86 a. Tanana Basin April 1, 1997 Tanana Valley snowpack * (inches) Fairbanks temperature (degrees F) National Weather Service Station 10 | | ! | | 1971 | 9 +997 - yeas * Based on 8 selected stations | | 1 TNT — —==Maximum iN | | = = = Average — = Minimum Water Equivalent (inches) —X=— Current | | | | | { | | | | | | | | ! | Departure From Normal (degrees F) -16 since 1960 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR SNOWCOVER: The region around Tok has a snowpack water content of 120 percent of normal. This percent decreases near Delta Junction to 82 percent of normal. The Chena Basin has a snowpack water content of 87 percent with the Chatanika at 104 percent of normal. The Salcha River near Salchaket is forecast to flow near 95 percent for the April through July time period with average precipitation received. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Fairbanks, 479-2657; or Delta Junction, 895-4241. 12 TANANA BASIN SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT. DEPTH _ CONTENT Bonanza Creek 1150 4/03 24 5.0 21 4.6 22 4. Caribou Creek 1250 4/01 19 4.8 21 4.2 22 4.6 Caribou Mine 1150 3/31 26 4.7 23 4.4 25 5-3. Caribou Snow Pillow 900 4/01 22 4.6 21 4.0 21 4.4 *Cleary Summit 2230 3/31 30 5.7 26 5.1 29 6.2 Colorado Creek 700 3/31 22 3.9 22 4.2 22 4.2 Fairbanks Field Off. 450 4/02 22 3.6 20 3.8 20 3.9 Faith Creek 1900 3/31 26 4.7 24 4.3 22 4.4 *Fielding Lake 3000 4/03 43 11.5 29 7.2 46 12.1 Fort Greely 1500 4/03 16 2.7 20 4.4 16 333 French Creek 1800 4/04 24 5.1 24 5.0 26 6.1 Gerstle River 1200 4/04 17 2.4 17 3.1 17 Soe Granite Creek 1240 4/04 15 2.5) 18 3.4 17 3.4 Haystack Mountain 1950 4/01 28 6.1 28 4.8 31 6.0 Jatahmund Lake 2180 3/28 19 3.4 19 3.5 =) -- Kantishna 1550 4/01 27 5.4 26 5.1 = -- Lake Minchumina 730 4/01 17 3.4 19 3.8 22 4.4 Little Chena Bottom 1460 3/31 22 3.7 21 4.1 20 3.9 Little Chena Ridge 2000 3/31 27 SI 28 5.4 26 5.4 Lost Creek 3030 4/01 16 3.4 20 4.0 co ==) Mentasta Pass 2430 4/03 27 6.4 27 5.7 28 6.4 Monument Creek 1850 3/31 26 4.6 26 5.2 24 Sat *Mt. Ryan 2800 3/31 26 4.6 30 6.0 31 6.7 Munson Ridge 3100 3/31 30 6.0 32 6.2 38 9.2 Paradise Hill 2200 3/28 18 3.7 17 3.6 =< “- Ptarmigan Creek 2230 3/31 24 4.2 24 3.9 22 4.0 Rock Creek Bottom 2250 4/03 24 4.8 22 4.6 == -- Rock Creek Ridge 2600 47/02 25 5.4 22 5.2 -) o Shaw Creek Flats 980 4/04 18 See 16 2-9) 15 2.9 Teuchet Creek 1640 3/31 24 4.3 22 3.7 23 4.6 Tok Junction 1650 4/03 24 4.2 16 29, 18 3.5 *Upper Chena 3000 3/31 34 6.5 26 5.5 33 7.4 *Upper Chena Pillow 2850 3/31 3 6.2 29 6.5 30 he * Effected to some degree by wind STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD CIOOOAF) __—(1000AF) —_—(% AVE.) @ @® LITTLE CHENA nr Fairbanks APR-JUL 83.0 76 92 122 61 CHENA RIVER nr Two Rivers APR-JUL 288 260 90 129 51 SALCHA RIVER nr Salchaket APR-JUL 691 656 9 126 64 TANANA RIVER at Fairbanks APR-JUL 7329 7175 98 110 86 TANANA RIVER at Nenana APR-JUL 8988 8660 96 111 81 PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT __ LAST YEAR AVERAGE %_OF AVERAGE Fairbanks Field Office 450 4/02 4.3 3.7 4.3 100 Granite Creek 1240 4/04 2.8 3.3 3.8 74 Monument Creek 1850 3/31 4.4 5.3 6.4 69 Mt. Ryan 2800 3/31 4.6 6.2 6.9 67 Munson Ridge 3100 3/31 6.0 6.8 8.5 71 Rhoads Creek 1240 4/04 2.7 eet 3.5 7 WATERSHED SWOWPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Chatanika 3 117 104 Chena Basin 7 96 87 Lower Tanana Valley 4 99 91 Mid Tanana Valley (Delta Junction) 2 70 82 Upper Tanana Valley (Tok) 2 137 114 13 Western Interior Basins April 1, 1997 Koyukuk Basin snowpack * | Bettles temperature (degrees F) (inches) Fe eS nb bn * Based on 68 | National Weather Service Station F T4970 | j —X—— Current | ° LA | ASG ae since 1967 FEB MAR APR MAY c n - 4 o ® 10 aoe selected stations © 2 wre] | ii | | > =) iam 3 = s4 | | (eee id = TL le ; | 2 | | | | |“ Maximum | s es 3+ I! | S ye | | S > | ae = | = = = Average = s °% | (Oe 5 He A t | | ; == = Minimum ire ! - Mt | g = | = a o a OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR KOYUKUK SNOWCOVER: Most of the snow courses measured in the Basin were below normal with the exception of Bonanza Forks at 107 percent and Thirty Mile at 101 percent. The Snowmelt Runoff Index (SRI) for the Koyukuk River at Hughes, a former USGS gauging station, is -0.6. This is in the range from -1 to +1, near average snowmelt runoff. KUSKOKWIM SNOWCOVER: The average percent of normal of the two snow courses with any length of record, McGrath and Lake Minchumina, is 86 percent. The snowpack is very low again this year on the southern and western portions of this Basin. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Anchorage, 271-2424. 14 KOYUKUK UPPER KUSKOKWIM LOWER YUKON SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE ‘SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH __ CONTENT DEPTH __ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT Koyukuk Bettles Field 640 4/02 28 6.0 27 6.4 31 6.2 Bonanza Forks 900 4/01 32 6.3 28 5.1 28 5.9 Coldfoot 1040 4/01 30 6.6 33 6.2 31 6.9 Disaster Creek 1550 4/02 19 rt) 22 4.1 22 4.4 *Lake Todatonten 550 3/28 24 5.1 26 4.6 26 5.5 Table Mountain 2200 4/02 18 3.2 24 4.0 23 4.9 Tozikaket 600 3/28 23 Dee, =I oo 22 4.5 * Effected to some degree by wind Kuskokwim Lake Minchumina 730 4/01 17 3.4 19 3.8 22 4.4 McGrath 340 3/28 25 5.0 27 7.2 26 5.4 Telaquana Lake 1550 4/02 23 4.6 19 4.1 °° -- Lower Yukon Grouch Creek 220 3/28 36 fee 24 5.8 S -- Holikachuk 100 3/28 27 5.6 12 3.0 - “< Horsefly Creek 180 3/28 23 4.5 12 2.9 a aa Innoko Inn 200 3/28 24 4.0 20 4.5 == °- Menotl 380 3/28 32 6.4 18 4.0 == -- Middle Innoko 150 3/28 24 4.5 9 2.2 eo <= Upper Innoko 180 No Survey 15 3.3 — -- Wapoo Hills 220 3/28 21 3.4 16 3.5 -- -- Yankee Slough 100 3/28 36 7.2 18 4.7 =) -- Yetna River 120 3/28 19 3.2 12 3.0 “- -- STREAMFLOW FORECASTS : FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD (1000AF) (1000AF) (% AVE.) Mm (% KUSKOKWIM RIVER at Crooked Cr. APR-JUL 10743, 9498 88 116 61 PRECIPITATION INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT _LAST_YEAR AVERAGE % _OF AVERAGE Bettles Field 640 4/02 5.1 6.3 fee 71 Coldfoot 1040 4/01 5.4 6.0 7.0 7 1/ National Weather Service Station WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Koyukuk 7 107 1 Upper Kuskokwim 2 76 86 15 Arctic and Kotzebue Sound April 1, 1997 Arctic Coastal snowpack * Barrow temperature (inches) (degrees F) | National Weather Service Station 8 es 19791) ee gauge stations Water Equivalent (inches) | | 6 ro Maximum | Departure From Normal (degrees F) OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR ARCTIC SNOWCOVER: Prudhoe Bay has had 92 percent of normal precipitation since October 1st. The snowpack decreases percentage-wise as you travel south along the Dalton Highway to the Brooks Range. The Kuparuk River is forecast to flow for the April through July time period at 1,449,000 Acre-foot or 95 percent of normal. KOTZEBUE SOUND SNOWCOVER: No snow courses were read this past month for this region. The snowpack has probably dropped below 70 percent of normal following the precipitation dropping at the Red Dog Mine and no precipitation at Kotzebue being recorded. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Anchorage, 271-2424. 16 AlR Cet Tc AND KFOTZEBUE SOUND PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT __ LAST YEAR AVERAGE %_OF AVERAGE Arctic Atigun Camp** 3400 4/01 2.9 2.3 5.0 58 Atigun Pass** 4800 4/01 5.7 5.4 8.8 65 Barrow** 25 4/01 2.4 2.5 3.0 81 Barter Island** 30 3/22 3.5 2.8 3.9 90 Prudhoe Bay** 30 3/29 3.5 4.9 3.8 92 Sagwon** 1000 3/19 2.7 2.8 3.3 82 Toolik River** 3050 3/31 2.4 3.5 3.9 62 Kotzebue Sound Red Dog** 950 4/01 3.4 3.5 6.3 54 ** Wyoming shielded gauge STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD 1000AF 1000AF. ‘% AVE. x x KUPARUK RIVER nr Deadhorse APR-JUL 1530 1450 9 121 69 SAGVANIRKTOK RIVER nr Pump APR-JUL 652 620 95 115 75 HED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Arctic Coast 3 92 88 Dalton Highway 4 98 65 aly) Norton Sound - Southwest Delta and Bristol Bay April 1, 1997 250 Percent of Normal 8 a 8 ° °o a ° °o Nome precipitation Hina sa Nome temperature National Weather Service Station (degrees F) National Weather Service Station J @ Monthly precipitation & Year to date precipitation| | | f | | | | | | | | | Departure From Normal (degrees F) OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR ocT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR NORTON SOUND SNOWCOVER: Very little snow was received in this region the past month. The National Weather Service observer measured .14 inches of precipitation for the month, 26 percent of normal. The snowpack followed this reduction. SOUTHWEST DELTA AND BRISTOL BAY SNOWCOVER: The King Salmon precipitation gauge caught .2 of an inch in March and dropped to 42 percent of normal since October 1st. Dillingham received .68 inches of precipitation in March and dropped to 68 percent of normal since October 1st. The snowpack reflects these low percentages and is probably less. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Anchorage, 271-2424. 18 NORTON SOUND, SOUTHWEST DELTA, AND BRISTOL BAY SNOUPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT —_—{—[— OW TRE DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT Bristol Bay Brooks Camp 150 3/31 0 0.0 0 0.0 -- -- Fishtrap Lake 1800 47/02 32 8.5 -- -- -- -- Port Alsworth 270 4/01 7 1.8 13 3.3 2 -- Three Forks 900 3/31 15 4.8 0 0.0 -- -- Upper Twin Lakes 2000 4702 25 6.7 18 3.8 -- -- PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT __ LAST YEAR AVERAGE %_OF AVERAGE Bristol Bay King Salmon 1/ 49 3/31 3.3 4.0 7.9 42 Port Alsworth 2/ 20 No Report 5.5 -- -- 1/ National Weather Service Station 2/ Lake Clark National Park Bethel precipitation | Bethel temperature (percent of normal) | (degrees F) National Weather Service Station | National Weather Service Station Nn ° ° _ aa ‘fc 3 |2 | oa = if | 3 | | Mi Monthly | |= E i | precipitation | \o zis i E |S || Year to date | 3 iF || precipitation | 2100 | i€ 2 's a iL | \a | | |@ -8 | 50 1 3 | | | | @ -12 | ! Q | | | 2 | 04 / f : : O -16 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR 19 Copper Basin April 1, 1997 Gulkana temperature (degrees F) Copper Basin - wide | * | | snowpack National Weather Service Station (inches) |i | | 3 | _ 127; ® 3 11 ee * Based on | ° | 5 104 | selected stations |= i £ of 3 Pa ae 5 | & 7 ee ee i | | s | 2 | | — “Maximum | lee | > 6 ess | | € is | aoe | z 5 — Average | ° ge mee Ps iS | | | — i= Minimum | 2 | & 3 + . | = | & 2 allie | c | 3 ' = NS —X——Current | s Fear — nf | rent | 5 2 ql | | FEB MAR APR MAY ince 1964 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR SNOWCOVER: The Wrangle Mountains (97 percent), Chugach Mountains (106 percent), and the Basin Floor (110 percent) snow courses went up from last month. The big increase being in the Chugach Range which went up 13 percentage points. The Alaska Range and Talkeetna Mountains went down 3 to 4 percent. The Gulkana River volume flow forecast for the April through July period is 425,000 Acre-foot, 80 percent of normal. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Wasilla, 373-6490 20 COPPER BASIN SMOMPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH CONTENT. DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT Chisana 3320 3/31 18 3.6 16 3.0 nye oa Chistochina 2170 4/03 26 4.7 17 3.4 28 4.5 Chokosna 1550 4/02 11 3.5 20 4.8 cs -- Dadina Lake 2160 4/03 19 4.4 29 6.7 24 5.5 Haggard Creek 2540 4/03 28 6.1 27 5.4 28 6.0 *Horsepasture Pass 4300 4/03 32 6.4 19 4.0 28 5.9 Kenny Lake School 1300 4/01 13 2.6 ar se 16 325 Lake Louise 2400 3/31 22 5.0 23 4.1 22 4.2 Little Nelchina 2650 3/31 25 5.4 18 4.0 ea -- Lost Creek 3030 4/01 16 3.2 20 4.0 a a May Creek 1610 3/31 17 3.8 22 5.4 a -- Mentasta Pass 2430 4/03 27 6.4 27 5.7 28 6.4 *Monsoon Lake 3100 4/03 29 6.4 21 4.5 30 6.5 Paxson 2650 4/03 31 6.3 24 See 3 te) Sanford River 2280 4/03 33 6.6 25 5.5 27 5.8 *St. Anne Lake 1990 4/03 28 5.6 25 5.8 23 4.9 Tazlina 1225 4/07 14 2:3 24 6.2 oo =< Tolsona Creek 2000 3/31 21 4.2 21 5.2 19 3.5 Tsaina River 1650 4/01 43 10.8 45 12.8 56 17.0 Twin Lakes 2400 4/03 37 7.4 20 3.8 31 6.5 *Worthington Glacier 2100 4/01 53 14.6 52 18.3 65 24.0 * Effected to some degree by wind STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD (1000AF) CI000AF) (% AVE.) (¢5] @) GULKANA RIVER at Sourdough APR-JUL 529 425 80 100 61 WATERSHED SNOUPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Alaska Range 1/ 3 124 96 Basin Floor 4 110 110 Chugach Range1/ 3 128 106 Talkeetna Mountains 1/ 3 151 106 Wrangell Mountains 1/ 2 90 97 A/ At the foot of 21 Matanuska - Susitna Basins April 1, 1997 Lower Susitna Basin Talkeetna temperature OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR F 1 | | | | snowpack* (degrees F) | : ; ; = (inches) x 16+ National Weather Service Station \ | | n | ty | 8 (m i * a 3 ary =a ‘ Based en s is = —_ \ | selected stations _ ie SS o Heme | a 1990 X f | = | e bY — ==Maximum | = ge | |} /2 7 i i$ 12 + | ie = = Average | € (3 94 | | | | 2 |S | S| fm = Mini | (i ju . | Minimum | | is 6 5 | | 2 | | | 5 | & 3 { ~ | —_ X= Current | z Beats San ie | 0+ ~ since 1964 A | | | l SNOWCOVER: The Peters Hills snowpack water content at the foot of Mt. McKinley on the south side, is 92 percent of normal. The Upper Susitna, which extends to the east to Lake Louise, is 109 percent of normal, up 4 percent from last month. The Matanuska/Little Susitna region is 78 percent of normal snow water. The Deshka River, at the mouth near Willow, has a Snowmelt Runoff Index (SRI) of -1.2 and the Chulitna River, near Talkeetna, SRI is -1.0. Both of these are in the below average range of -1 to -2. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Wasilla, 373-6493 22 MATABNUSKA - SUSITHA BASINS SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT Alexander Lake 160 4/02 38 9.1 27 6.2 41 set *Archangel Road 2200 4/03 41 tic2 42 11.6 44 14.8 Blueberry Hill 1200 3/28 43 11.9 44 9.6 55 16.0 Chelatna Lake 1650 4/03 38 10.1 38 7.8 42 11.1 *Clearwater Lake 2650 4/03 32 6.7 23 4.5 25 5.3 Denali View 700 3/28 34 9.0 37 9.4 44 12.7 *Dutch Hills 3100 4/03 62 23.6 47 14.1 76 26.8 E. Fork Chulitna 1800 3/28 42 10.6 48 10.8 48 13.8 *Fishhook Basin 3300 3/30 53 15.5 42 12.8 64 20.0 Fog Lakes 2120 4/03 25 5.2 27 5.4 24 5.0 *Independence Mine 3400 3/30 58 18.0 50 14.6 7 23.8 Lake Louise 2400 3/31 22 5.0 23 4.1 22 4.2 Little Susitna 1700 4/03 37 10.1 39 10.9 42 12.5 *Monahan Flat 2710 4/03 34 7.9 34 7.4 32 7.1 *Nugget Bench 2010 4/03 50 14.0 33 9.9 57 15.6 *Ramsdyke Creek 2220 4/03 62 19.8 36 10.8 70 alae, Sheep Mountain 2900 3/31 26 5.1 12 3.7 24 5.5 Skwentna 160 47/02 39 9.6 25 5.4 42 11.3 Square Lake 2950 4/03 26 4.7 17 3.0 21 3.9 Susitna Valley High 375 3/29 30 7.8 32 8.5 31 8.2 Talkeetna 350 3/29 26 6.4 27 6.4 32 8.4 *Tokositna Valley 850 4/03 62 17.9 44 12.3 56 17.7 Willow Airstrip 200 3/29 30 8.0 26 6.6 28 7.0 * Effected to some degree by wind STREAMFLOW” FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD (1000AF) (1000AF) (% AVE.) (¢5) @® LITTLE SUSITNA RIVER nr Palmer APR-JUL 90.0 67 7% 102 47 SUSITNA RIVER at Gold Creek APR-JUL 4115 3755 91 106 7% Talkeetna River nr Talkeetna APR-JUL 1629 1405 86 102 71 WILLOW CREEK nr Willow APR-JUL 155 115 7% 88 61 PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT __LAST_ YEAR AVERAGE %_OF AVERAGE Independence Mine 3400 3/30 18.0 13.9 25.8 70 Monahan Flat 2710 3/28 7.5 7.6 8.4 89 Susitna Valley High 375 3/29 6.7 9.0 11.3 59 WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS NO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A X% OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Lower Susitna 4 134 87 Matanuska/Little Susitna 5 112 78 Peters Hills 4 160 92 Upper Susitna 4 115 109 23 Northern Cook Inlet Water Equivalent (inches) yo ‘ v Departure From Normal (degrees F) April 1, 1997 Ship Creek snowpack * | Anchorage temperature (inches) (degrees F) 27 National Weather Service Station 24 it 1980 * Based on selected stations | | | 18 ope eat ; = ™="Maximum | | | | | |" =" = Average | | — = Minimum | i | | | | Ls | | | | since 1967 | FEB MAR APR MAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR SNOWCOVER: The Arctic Valley snow course water contents increase percent of normal as you move from high elevation to low elevation. Arctic Ski Bowl water content (15.4 inches) is 119 percent of normal while at the foot of the valley road Arctic Valley No. 1 snow course water content (4.8 inches) is 85 percent of normal. The Campbell Creek near Spenard April through July forecast is 101 percent of normal. The Bird Creek and Indian Creek Snowmelt Runoff Index (SRI) are both -0.4, in the average range of -1.0 to +1.0. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Wasilla, 373-6490; or Anchorage, 271-2424. 24 NORTHERN COOK INLET SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT Anchorage Hillside 2080 3/31 39 9.7 25 6.3 35 9.6 *arctic Ski Bowl 3000 3/31 47 15.4 27 8.3 39 12.9 Arctic Valley #1 500 3/31 18 4.8 11 4.1 1 2.6 Arctic Valley #2 1000 3/31 27 6.0 17 4.6 13 3.5 Arctic Valley #3 1450 3/31 30 6.7 18 6.0 25 6.2 Arctic Valley #4 2030 3/31 30 7.9 18 5.2 27 6.8 *Chuitna Plateau 1540 4/02 57 21.1 41 10.2 66 25.5 Congahbuna Lake 500 4/02 3 8.7 25 5.5 35 10.4 Granite Point 250 4/02 9 2.8 12 4.0 20 5.3 *Indian Pass 2350 3/28 71 24.7 44 11.2 70 22.8 Kincaid Park 250 4/01 14 4.5 16 4.7 -- -- *Lone Ridge 1675 4/02 75 27.8 57 14.8 95 36.3 *Mt. Alyeska 1540 3/26 95 32.1 54 14.1 109 35.6 Point Mackenzie 200 4/02 24 5.8 18 4.8 Ue 4.4 Portage Valley 50 3/30 39 13.1 41 14.5 32 12.5 South Campbell Creek 1200 3/31 32 8.0 21 5.8 23 6.1 * Effected to some degree by wind STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD 1O00AF 1000AF ‘%_AVE. 5 x CAMPBELL CREEK nr Spenard APR-JUL 22.0 22.3 101 121 82 SHIP CREEK nr Anchorage APR-JUL 64.0 61.9 97 110 8&4 PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT __LAST_YEAR AVERAGE % OF AVERAGE Congahbuna Lake 500 -- -- 9.8 17.6 -- Indian Pass 2350 3/28 22.2 13.4 24.3 91 Mt. Alyeska 1540 3/26 34.4 24.0 40.3 85 Point Mackenzie 200 47/02 5.7 6.7 7.0 81 WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS NO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Beluga 3 189 80 Campbell Creek headwaters 2 146 113 Ship Creek 3 186 108 Turnagain Arm 2 186 89 25 Kenai Peninsula April 1, 1997 [ i | Northern Kenai Mountains Homer temperature snowpack* (degrees F) | ; f ! | (inches) SNE National Weather Service Station | c ] | Hie eT A . g 124 ee 1988 | Based on © is 1980 | =_—_— selected stations s 4 1 21 iil | | | Ta | is 1s 4 7 | att —=Maximum| £ 4 i€ I | i 5 Fx MNT a tal ese VATE ee Ue) 91 i ! | eit ig 94 + — == Minimum | ii | is T | | |@ -8 | Leann * | 2 i = 3 i - ve —X—— Current | 5 12 | T | | 1985 | = | 7 since 1970 Q-16 | | OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR SNOWCOVER: The snow water contents percent of normal dropped at the Bradley Lake courses to 101 percent. This is followed by the drop in percent of precipitation caught by the Nuka Glacier gauge which stands at 63 percent of normal since October 1st. The Snowmelt Runoff Indexes (SRI) for the Anchor River nr Anchor Point, Deep Creek nr Ninilchik and the Ninilchik River nr Ninilchik is -2.2, the most below average range. The Northern Kenai Mountains percent of normal water content is 89 percent. It varies from 55 percent at Moose Pass to 112 percent at Bertha Creek. Grandview, between Moose Pass and Portage has a snow water content of 26.6 inches, 102 percent of normal. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Homer, 235-8177. 26 KENAT PENINSULA SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE ‘SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW _COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT Bertha Creek 950 3/28 60 19.0 31 8.5 53 16.9 Bridge Creek 1300 4/03 35 8.5 23 6.2 44 12.1 Cooper Lake 1200 4/01 44 11.2 27 7.3 47 14.7 Demonstration Forest 780 4/02 33 dae 19 5.1 28 8.0 Eagle Lake 1400 4/02 39 9.2 18 4.7 36 10.9 Fox Creek 1500 3/30 34 9.2 <=) a) 34 et Grandview 1100 3/26 88 26.6 oe =a 7% 26.2 Grouse Creek Divide 700 4/01 54 ies 35 9.5 52 18.5 Jean Lake 620 4/01 16 2.8 8 0.9 12 3.1 Kenai Moose Pens 300 3/27 24 6.0 9 2.3 9 2.5 Kenai Summit 1390 3/28 46 14.0 23 6.7 45 13.9 McNeil Canyon 1320 4/03 30 7.5 19 4.6 34 9.9 Moose Pass 700 3/28 11 3.4 16 6.0 21 6.2 *Nuka Glacier 1250 4/02 82 34.6 47 16.2 93 38.0 *Nuka River 1300 4/02 86 42.3 43 15.1 93 38.0 Pass Creek 1200 3/30 32 7.8 oS = 31 9.1 Snug Harbor Road 500 4/01 15 3.2 15 4.0 15 4.5 Summit Creek 1400 3/28 34 9.6 21 5.9 39 11.9 Turnagain Pass 1880 3/28 9S 29.9 67 19.2 96 34.2 * Effected to some degree by wind STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOST MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD (1000AF) C1000AF > (% AVE.) (¢5) [5] FRITZ CREEK nr Homer APR-JUL 4.6 3.3 72 92 52 KENAI RIVER at Cooper Landing APR-JUL 883 814 92 102 82 PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT __LAST YEAR AVERAGE % OF AVERAGE Cooper Lake 1200 4/01 12.9 12.2 20.8 62 Grandview 1100 3/26 26.6 25.0 34.5 7 Kenai Moose Pens 300 3/31 7.9 5.0 7.4 107 McNeil Canyon 1320 4/03 8.5 5.4 15.6 54 Middle Fork Bradley River** 2300 4/02 qicg 5-9. 34.0 35 Nuka Glacier** 1250 4/02 34.3 33.5 54.7 63 Summit Creek 1400 3/28 9.6 7.6 17.0 56 Turnagain Pass 1880 3/28 30.7 23.6 37.0 83 ** Wyoming shielded gauge WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS NO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Bradley Lake 2 246 101 Ninilchik Dome 2 162 7 Northern Kenai Flats 1 261 240 Northern Kenai Mountains 7 165 89 27 Western Gulf April 1, 1997 Valdez / Thompson Pass snowpack * Valdez temperature (degrees F) | National Weather Service Station | | (inches) |e 16 ] | 2 | ~ #7 r | 8 124 8 |1990| 11977) * Based on | = s 35 | + selected stations 3 re Pa ———_ a = 30+ t . os ~ SY | — ==Maximum Ee S %+— 5 = | 2 2 | | oe - = = = Average ae z cle! s 6 aS |— = Minimum x = 10 a § = | # |1996 | —X—— Current 2 5 - — [| o 7 2 ° ! | since 1958 Qa. FEB MAR APR MAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR SNOWCOVER: The snow water contents, percent of normal, vary from 60 to 62 percent from Valdez to Worthington Glacier. This is 9 percent above last year’s record low snow water contents. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Homer, 235-8177; or Wasilla, 373-6490. 28 WESTERN GULF SMOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH __ CONTENT DEPTH __ CONTENT DEPTH _ CONTENT Exit Glacier 500 3/27 47 15.1 29 10.5 -- -- Grouse Creek Divide 700 4/01 54 11.5 35 9.5 52 18.5 *Lowe River 600 4/01 39 10.1 40 14.0 53 16.7 *Nuka Glacier 1250 4/02 82 34.6 47 16.2 93 38.0 *Nuka River 1300 4/02 86 42.3 43 15.1 93 38.0 Sugarloaf Mountain 525 4/02 57 19.8 56 16.0 86 29.3 Tsaina River 1650 4/01 43 10.8 45 12.8 56 17.0 *Valdez 50 4/01 43 11.3 35 13.0 53 18.2 *Worthington Glacier 2100 4/01 53 14.6 52 18.3 65 24.0 * Effected to some degree by wind PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist (CIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT LAST YEAR AVERAGE % _OF AVERAGE Nuka Glacier** 1250 47/02 34.3 33.5 54.7 63 Solomon Gulch 1/ 36 3/31 23.2 26.2 37.7 62 Sugarloaf Mountain 1/ 530 4/02 24.3 24.6 40.4 60 ** Wyoming shielded gauge 41/ Copper Valley Electric Association WATERSHED SNOUPACK ANALYSIS WO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Lowe River (Valdez) 3 79 61 29 Southeast April 1, 1997 Douglas Island snowpack * Juneau temperature (degrees F) National Weather Service Station (inches) * Based on OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR lz lw 3 ; |S 12 2 selected stations | & | o 2 8 ig /3 - j le ——— | | | s | — Maximum £ 4 is | S 3 | | = === | 2 | Average € fee | s 4 Ss | — = Minimum 7 s | | g 3 | 5 oe | —K—=Current | | 5 12 ! 1981 | Deserted 2 en ee | +0! | FEB MAR APR MAY since 1977 | SNOWCOVER: The Douglas Island index to the region received a normal increase of snow water content (4.6 inches) to raise the percent of normal to 73. Petersburg snow course water went up 11 percent to 76 percent of normal. The Swan Lake snow surveys were delayed due to weather and scheduling. The percent of normal precipitation caught of this site is 90 percent since October 1st. For more information, contact your Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Anchorage, 271-2424. 30 SOUTHEAST SNOWPACK DATA THIS YEAR LAST YEAR 1961-90 AVERAGE ‘SNOW WATER SNOW WATER ‘SNOW WATER SNOW COURSE ELEVATION DATE DEPTH _ CONTENT. DEPTH _ CONTENT DEPTH CONTENT Cropley Lake 1650 3/29 87 27.3 51 17.9 96 36.1 Eagle Crest 1000 4/02 61 16.4 35 12.3 55 19.5) Fish Creek 500 3/31 15 4.0 18 5.4 23 6.5 Moore Creek Bridge 2300 3/27 64 18.6 59 18.4 =o - Petersburg Reservoir 550 3/28 0 0.0 0 0.0 19 6.5 Petersburg Ridge 1650 3/28 78 26.7 49 ten 77 28.7 Speel River 280 3/30 86 27.2 52 18.7 7 30.8 STREAMFLOW FORECASTS FORECAST 30 YR. MOosT MOST REASONABLE REASONABLE AVE. PROBABLE PROBABLE MAX MIN FORECAST POINT PERIOD 1000AF 1000AF ‘%_AVE. x x GOLD CREEK nr Juneau APR-JUL 37.0 34.0 92 110 73 PRECIPITATION DATA INCHES ACCUMULATED SINCE OCTOBER ist PRECIPITATION GAUGE ELEVATION DATE CURRENT _ LAST YEAR AVERAGE %_OF AVERAGE Snettisham 1/ 110 3/31 79.6 74.4 106.8 7% Swan Lake 2/ 50 3/31 79.6 79.8 88.2 90 1/ Alaska Power Administration 2/ Ketchikan Public Utilities WATERSHED SNOWPACK ANALYSIS i NO. COURSES THIS YEAR AS A % OF REGION / ‘RIVER BASIN AVERAGED LAST YEAR - AVERAGE Douglass Island 3 128 73 Petersburg 2 156 76 31 CONSERVATION OF WATER BEGINS WITH THE SNOW SURVEY 949 E. 36th Avenue, Suite 400 Anchorage, AK 99508-4362 ATTN: Stanley E. Sieczkowski (78) Manager of Main. and Operations AIDEA/AEA 480 W. Tudor Road Anchorage, AK 99503 Alaska Basin Outlook Report Natural Resources Conservation Service Anchorage, AK 387 # 0000002 = US.POSTAGE [POSTALIA 268174)