Lower Colorado Water Supply Outlook, January 1, 2023

Note: This publication is scheduled for revision. If you have feedback on content, format, or publication frequency, please contact us.
Prepared by T.Grout, P. Miller
NOAA, National Weather Service
Colorado Basin River Forecast Center
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.cbrfc.noaa.gov

Contents

Lower Colorado Summary






*Median of forecasts within each basin.


Salt Basin Conditions




Snow Water Equivalent in Percent of Median.
* Percent usable capacity, not percent average contents.
Click for multi-month Graph.

Gila Basin Conditions




Snow Water Equivalent in Percent of Median.
* Percent usable capacity, not percent average contents.
Click for multi-month Graph.

Little Colorado Basin Conditions




Snow Water Equivalent in Percent of Median.
* Percent usable capacity, not percent average contents.
Click for multi-month Graph.


Salt Specific Site Forecasts (kaf)

Click site name for graph.
Forecast
Period		90%
Exceedance
Volume		70%
Exceedance
Volume		50%
Exceedance
Volume		Percent
Median		30%
Exceedance
Volume		10%
Exceedance
Volume
Salt
Roosevelt, Nr January-May182 250 325 130 415 650
Tonto Ck
Roosevelt, Nr, Gun Ck, Abv January-May30 39 47 121 82 130
Verde
Tangle Ck, Blo, Horseshoe Dam, Abv January-May95 130 160 103 240 400


Gila Specific Site Forecasts (kaf)

Click site name for graph.
Forecast
Period		90%
Exceedance
Volume		70%
Exceedance
Volume		50%
Exceedance
Volume		Percent
Median		30%
Exceedance
Volume		10%
Exceedance
Volume
Gila
Gila, Nr January-May31 42 55 106 80 120
Virden, Nr, Blue Ck, Blo January-May36 50 65 102 100 150
Solomon, Nr, Head Of Safford Vly January-May70 120 160 151 260 400
San Carlos Reservoir, Coolidge Dam, At January-May70 125 170 233 270 420
San Francisco
Glenwood, Nr January-May10 18 25 135 47 70
Clifton January-May33 50 70 159 120 170


Little Colorado Specific Site Forecasts (kaf)

Click site name for graph.
Forecast
Period		90%
Exceedance
Volume		70%
Exceedance
Volume		50%
Exceedance
Volume		Percent
Median		30%
Exceedance
Volume		10%
Exceedance
Volume
Little Colorado
Lyman Lk, Abv, St. Johns, Nr January-June2.1 2.8 4 68 6.2 12
Zuni
Black Rock Res, Abv January-May0.01 0.16 0.4 308 0.8 4
Chevelon Ck
Winslow, Nr, Wildcat Cyn, Blo January-May5 7.8 13 94 24 40

Differences between the full period forecasts and the residual forecasts may not exactly equal the actual observed volumes due to rounding conventions (see Definitions section).

Lower Colorado End of Month Reservoir Contents (kaf)

EOM
Contents		Percent
EOM
Average		Percent
Usable
Capacity		Last Year
EOM		Last Year
%Average		EOM
Average		Usable
Capacity
Salt
Roosevelt 1043.8 124 63 1113.2 133 838.9 1653.0
Horse Mesa 221.1 101 90 229.8 105 218.0 245.1
Mormon Flat 55.0 103 95 55.0 103 53.3 57.9
Stewart Mountain 64.8 105 93 65.0 105 61.8 69.8
Horseshoe 12.1 39 11 18.0 57 31.3 109.2
Bartlett 98.3 92 55 92.4 86 107.0 178.2
untitled
TOTAL 1495.1 114 65 1573.4 120 1310.2 2313.2
Bill Williams
Alamo -9999.0 -99 -99 -9999.0 -99 128.4 1045.0
Agua Fria
Lake Pleasant 533.2 101 61 612.2 116 527.0 869.9
Gila
San Carlos 230.9 143 26 20.4 13 161.7 875.0
Colorado
Lake Powell 5530.5 37 23 6713.1 45 14835.5 24322.0
Lake Mead 7309.1 36 28 8903.3 44 20297.1 26120.0
untitled
TOTAL 13603.9 38 26 16249.1 45 35821.4 52186.9

Precipitation Maps




Definitions

10% exceedance forecast: Given the current hydrometeorological conditions, i.e current snowpack, soil moisture and streamflow, the volume that has a 10% chance of being exceeded. Previously referred to as "Reasonable Maximum Forecast".

50% exceedance forecast: Given the current hydrometeorological conditions, i.e current snowpack, soil moisture and streamflow, the volume that has a 50% chance of being exceeded. Previously referred to as "Most Probable Forecast".

90% exceedance forecast: Given the current hydrometeorological conditions, i.e current snowpack, soil moisture and streamflow, the volume that has a 90% chance of being exceeded. Previously referred to as "Reasonable Minimum Forecast".

Acre-Foot (af): The volume equal to one acre covered one foot deep (43,560 cubic feet). See kaf below.

Average: The arithmetic mean. The sum of the values divided by the number of values. Values from 1991-2020 are used for this publication.

Categories: Much Above Average=Greater than 130%, Above Average=111-130%, Near Average=90-110%, Below Average=70-89%, Much Below Average=Less than 70%.

CBRFC: Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.

Forecast Period: The period from April 1 through July 31, unless otherwise noted.

kaf: Thousand Acre-Feet. See Acre-Foot above.

Inflow: The volume of water that flows into a reservoir or lake.

Median: The middle value of an ordered set of values. Half of the values are higher and half of the values are lower. When the set contains an even number of values the median is the average of the two middle numbers.

NOAA: National Oceanic and Atomospheric Administration.

NWS: National Weather Service.

Rounding Conventions:
RangeRound to
0-1.990.01
2.0-19.90.1
20-1991.0
200-9995.0
1000+3 significant digits


Streamflow: The volume of water that flows past a specific stream site.

Water Year: The 12-month period, October 1 through September 30. The water year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the year ending September 30, 2008, is called the "2008 water year."


Additional Information

Water supply forecasts take into consideration present hydrometeorological conditions and use average basin temperatures and precipitation for the forecast period. As the forecast season progresses, a greater portion of the future hydrologic and climatic uncertainty becomes known and monthly forecasts become more accurate. For more information on the tools we use, consult Water Supply Forecasting Tools.

Volume forecasts represent adjusted flows; that is, observed flows with upstream water use taken into account. Adjusted flows will closely approximate natural or unimpaired flows. However, not all upstream diversions or impoundments are measured or quantifiable. For specific adjustments used with each forecast point, consult the Guide to Water Supply Forecasting.

The Water Supply Outlook is issued monthly January through May by the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. It represents a coordinated effort between the National Weather Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey and local water district managers.

Note: Data used in this report are provisional and are subject to revision.

For more information, or to be included on the mailing list, please contact:

Colorado Basin River Forecast Center
2242 W North Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
(801) 524-5130
www.cbrfc.noaa.gov


Hydrologist: T.Grout, P. Miller