Moisture here is plentiful

But not out of the woods yet
 
 
Alexis Barker 
NLJ Reporter
 
“In a nutshell, snowpack and reservoir levels are good,” said Chris Nicholson, director of Water Resources Data Systems and the Wyoming State Climate Office. 
Nicholson’s comment summed up the Feb. 1 Wyoming Basin Outlook Report. 
The report, released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the basins that incorporate Weston County – Belle Fourche (the northern portion of the county) and the Cheyenne River Basin (incorporates a majority of Weston County), to be above average – as far as snow water equivalent goes. Reservoir storage in both areas are also reported to be above average, according to the report. 
“The Belle Fourche River Basin’s snow water equivalent is at 141 percent of median,” the report states. 
Snow water equivalent, or SWE, is a common snowpack measurement for the amount of water contained in the snowpack. It can be thought of as the depth of water that would theoretically result if the snowpack were to melt instantaneously, according to Jason Nehl, a U.S. Department of Agriculture resource specialist in Sundance. 
The report says that precipitation for January in this area was 168 percent of average and year-to-date precipitation is 136 percent of the average, compared with 114 percent last year. 
“The Belle Fourche Reservoir is storing 121 percent of average. Keyhole Reservoir about 180 percent average and Sladehill Reservoir is storing 157 percent,” according to the report. 
The Cheyenne River Basin’s snow water equivalent is sitting at 125 percent of median. 
“Precipitation for last month was 110 percent of average in the Cheyenne basin,” the report states. “Year-to-date precipitation is 72 percent of average (compared to 86 percent last year).” 
Reservoirs within the basin are all storing above average amounts of water. Angostura is storing 115 percent of average, Deerfield Reservoir is storing 108 percent of average and Pactola Reservoir is storing 114 percent. 
“As of now, your neck of the woods is looking good,” Nicholson said. 
He said that the U.S. drought monitor indicates that Weston County in its entirety is drought free. Nicholson said that while the snowpack and reservoir levels are good today, things can always change and those numbers will need to be looked at later in the season. 
“We usually look at those same numbers again on April 1 to see what potential impacts there may be,” Nicholson said. 
Nicholson and a partner at the University of Wyoming, where Water Resources Data Systems and the Wyoming State Climate Office are located, have completed a study looking at how snowpack melt-off can change dramatically in spring based on different atmospheric conditions. 
In locations close to Newcastle included in the Black Hills Snow Course Reading completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Sundance, snow totals closest to Newcastle are well above average, as of Feb. 1. 
Both Little Bear Run and Mallo Camp have snow totals above the 30-year median, the report says, and both areas have nearly an inch more snow water equivalent in their snow packs than the 30-year median of 2.6 inches and 2.6 inches, respectively. 
Current snow depths for both areas, according to the report, are 16.6 inches at Little Bear Run and 28.1 inches at Mallo. 
Little Bear Run has been a monitored site since 1992, with the highest recorded values on Feb. 1 of 22 inches and 5.2 inches of SWE, according to Nehl. 
Mallo has been monitored since 1977 and has a record snow depth of 35 inches and 9.2 inches of SWE. 
“All I can say is that, as of this time, we’re sitting pretty good for snowpack levels,” Nehl said. “Hopefully, this will provide enough water to fill our local reservoirs, recharge local springs and keep good base levels in our streams.”