Monthly precipitation in the Green River Basin was near normal in December 1995 with the seasonal precipitation, October through December 1995, below average. The month of January 1996 came in well above average, at 170%. This brought seasonal precipitation to above average. During the period February through April, precipitation came in at near to above average with the seasonal value through the end of April above average.
The snowpack began near average but with the big storms in January jumped to much above. By the first of May the snowpack had dropped a bit, when compared to average, showing 130% overall.
Forecasts in January underestimated observed flows for the Green River Basin. Forecasts jumped in February, based on the increase in snowpack in January. Then, depending upon the sub-basin, forecasts fluctuated a bit up or down from March through May. A warm, dry June-July contributed to flows lower than would otherwise be expected, especially on the Lower Green River. Therefore, a few forecasts in these areas ultimately came in high.