Hump Day Missouri River Summer Water Projections
NOPE. This is stock file PHOTO. The Dearborn is not blown. We will not see this kind of runoff this year 2024. Unless we have a large rain event in the Rockies. Stock Photo 2021
Local information along with the dam knob controllers state 4100cfs for the summer.
Bouncing between 3500cfs and 4200cfs. Should get us through the summer. Average flows.
That is it. More rain will not move the needle. More snow may help a bit.
Are we lower than average today? Flows? Yes. Historically we have begun our runoff period. Not this year. Yes, we have begun, but the melt will not manifest itself in higher water levels that we generally see in May and June.
Will the flows rise significantly this spring? No, we do not believe so. Not just we, the water managers believe that too. Mother Nature makes the ultimate call.
Waders Unite!
The Little Prickly Pear running 64 cfs. Historically 144 cfs. Half of average for both of our feeder creeks locally. The Dearborn coming in at 158 cfs. Historic average today 317 cfs.
Inflows at Toston MT about 700 cfs below normal. Currently 5280 cfs and historically near 6K.
Toston Above. The belief is that the Missouri River drainage will not rise too much more than we are currently resting at.
The lake is predicted to fill. Good news. Drainage(s) that feed us are all about 75% of YTD snow water equivalent.
So, there we have it. Normal flows for 2024. The river, the fish, the angler all appreciate the average flows of 2024. Stability is good for all things in nature. Including fish. Trout like “normal”!
Enjoy your Hump Day! A bit of a breeze this morning. Sunshine high in the sky.
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2 Comments.
Montana. Wet years and dry years, El Nina and El Nino. Yet the fish make it through both. The seven year drought of the 2010’s meant that Peck would not refill for decades we were told, then boom, in two years the reservoir was overflowing. Fishing with either low or high flows is good if one simply adjusts as the trout do. 3500 fcs is a great flow for dry fly action on the MO in my experience. Hope everyone has a great season!
I agree Bob. Mother Nature has a funny way, a strange, unpredictable path.