Spring Flood Outlook Feb 25 2014

Wyoming Spring 2014 Snowmelt Flood Potential Outlook---issued February 25th

Mountain snowpack and associated snow water equivalents (SWEs) across Wyoming continued to be above average by the middle of February.  SWEs at the peak snowmelt runoff elevations (8,000’ – 9.500’) continued to be the highest across northeastern Wyoming at 120 to 155 percent of median; while across southern Wyoming, SWEs were the lowest at 95 to 115 percent of median at the peak snowmelt runoff elevations.

This outlook is based on various diverse hydrological factors such as snow water equivalents (SWEs) in the mountain snowpack, basin morphology (i.e. how basins respond to snowmelt), extent of burn scars from 2012 and 2013 fires, amount of bark beetle kill, soil moisture trends, and likely temperature and precipitation trends during late spring/early summer. 

Basin Snow Water Equivalent % of Median