Snowpack Just Where It Needs To Be

Storms in March brought better-than-average precipitation to most river basins in southwestern Montana, boosting mountain snowpacks on the three streams that make up the headwaters of the Missouri River, according to a new report from the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

The NRCS released its monthly Water Supply Outlook Report this week, and it shows that the three streams that form the headwaters of the Missouri are either at or above average for snow-water equivalent. The Jefferson River clocked in with the snowpack farthest above average in the state at 111 percent of normal.

NRCS snow survey hydrologist Lucas Zukiewicz said seeing that on the Jefferson was a good thing, especially since the river has had its fair share of dry years recently.

“They’ve kind of been left out over the last couple years,” Zukiewicz said. “It’s definitely nice to see a good snowpack down there.”

He said storms that caught the southwestern corner of the state last month definitely helped that basin out.

The Madison River is at 100 percent of normal, and the Gallatin River is at 98 percent of normal. All three are well above their 2015 snowpack levels at this time.

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