Inches Up -- Water Down

SNOW PACK
ABOUT AVERAGE

Or Slightly Below

spring will tell the tale
(photo courtesy of North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Winter Tour of Yellowstone)
[[click photo for Yellowstone slide show]]

.. As the mid-winter-warm-up wends its way toward spring we again check the snowpack figures. The numbers are not as depressing as we feared. But, they're not as good as we'd hoped.
.. If the 90 day forecast holds and spring brings what the National Weather Service anticipates we can look forward to the following:

". . . estimated streamflows between April and July suggest that the Gallatin River will be running between 86 to 96 percent of a 30-year average. The Yellowstone is predicted to run at 92 to 104 percent, the Madison River between 78 and 81 percent and the Jefferson River 81 to 101." [LINK]

.. That's not all bad for the anticipated river flows. The Billings Gazette, and The Bozeman Chronicle both have run articles in the recent past. It seems that water is important to us all.
.. The maps below show the snow pack, and the streamflow forecast. It has been, and could be worse. We'll wait another 30 days and see how it turns out. [Click image for source.]

-------

.. It seems that the Sacramento River salmon are being done in by pumps and water exports. Thanks to the Trout Underground for following this catastrophe.
.. Jeff Kennedy, of Drawing Flies fame, is busy in these down-times and we miss the daily offerings. He's posted another couple of flies, and gotten some good press from Field & Stream.
.. The Montana State Legislature is busy wasting time with your money as it introduces another, (happily defeated,) stupid bill. Read about "Junteenth" and how our legislature spends its time HERE.

-------