With some moisture moving in this weekend, we’ll soon see which rivers benefit from the moisture and which basins the moisture helps to slow the fires progress. This update has a few weather outlooks, and projected flow graphs along with comparisons to see how the Aug 6 flow projections preformed. Projections were pretty good. Rivers are easier to project when they are approaching their seasonal lows for the year.
MF has leveled off flowing less than last year and similar to 2016. The headwater of the Snake River is pushing record low flows based on 40 years of data. Salmon Falls Creek is usually one of the first rivers to bottom out in late summer / early fall and the flow starts increasing with the longer, cooler nights and reduced water up take from plants.
What an event it was that added much needed moisture to many Idaho rivers. Following is a statewide summary about the impacts of this early June Atmospheric River Event. This rain on snow event increased streamflow in many rivers across the state that will push recession flows out a bit.
Combining daily rainfall and snowmelt resulted in 2.5 to 3.0” of Total Runoff Available at a few SNOTEL sites. The cool May temps delayed snowmelt allowing snow to remain in higher elevations that provided a runoff boost with the falling rain.
What a storm it was – who do you thank ? Those benefiting include fish, wildlife, river runners, salmon flows, hydropower production and more. The streamflow boost created another flow increase that will keep recession flows higher longer. However, some basins missed the positive impacts from this event. See the following analysis to see why some rivers benefited while others continued with their downward recession trend.
Benefits include assisting with final fill of some reservoirs, delayed irrigation water use that may even result in better reservoir carryover storage for next year. Impacts include challenges for those on rapid rising rivers especially for those adventuring on the MF Salmon River and experiencing the New Velvet Rapid up close.
Here’s an update based on current info. We’ll see later today and tomorrow how high these rivers peak. Here’s a link to previous post to project flow levels on your launch date for MF & Selway. Give it a try and see if still works after the peak has occurred. No cheating, wait for the peak… and play it safe. https://snowweatherandflow.blog/2022/06/19/mf-salmon-and-selway-rivers-recession-flow-estimation-tool-for-use-after-peak-flows-have-occurred-and-river-is-in-full-recession/
Update for Selway Lochsa Moyie Owyhee Bruneau Wood Lost and more Idaho rivers. Keep your eye on the weather as one more AR moves in next week.
With the return of warm temps, rivers are rising again. The last cold front slowed the melt down to a few tenths per day and increased to 1.4″ yesterday with temps reaching 67 F at Deadwood Summit. With these yoyo like temps and some precipitation remaining in forecast, expect a few more ups n downs in flow levels before full recession starts.
It’s always nice to see what the rivers are doing where you are going or where you want to be. The recent cold spell put a damper on snowmelt when rivers were increasing and put a twist in the Snow2Flow relationships, but there’s still enough remaining snow to generate another increase if not the peak for the season. Stay tuned, and if you happen to see the Big Lost Shite Stallion, let me know !
Here’s an update for the MF, Main, Lochsa and Selway Rivers showing there’s enough remaining snow to generate another increase in flow the next few days. This may be the last week of cooler/wetter spring weather with forecasts hinting at warmer/nicer weather for June’s arrival. Keep an eye on the sky watching the weather, and your mouse on snow melt and river levels pages as we see how high the rivers rise from this pulse of water coming out of the mountains. Enjoy & be safe !
Snow Weather and Flow 