After the March days, I often start thinking about summer water sources, with snow, ice, reservoir levels, and predicted Columbia River flows all in mind.
The bottom line is that the water is in good shape for this summer.
The snow cover is a bit below normal right away— but not too bad at around 85% of normal for Bang.
Considering the snow will fall next week (see forecast below), we will be more likely to snow in the spring.
And then there are the reservoirs. Most importantly, the Yakima reservoir system supplies water to much of the agriculture around Yakima and Selah (see below). OH. These reservoirs are enormous in shape…. WAY above normal. Fill up with water to the point where we are about to fill up normally in about 2-3 months.
Seattle’s reservoirs are slightly above normal, and would have been much higher than normal, if Seattle hadn’t released more water to prevent dams from overflowing (see below).
Another important water source is the Columbia River, and the latest projections (black line) are above normal (light green line) until at least mid-July.
I could point you to more reservoirs or rivers, but the general conclusion is that the current outlook is positive for this summer’s water supply to Washington State, which is expected after a La Nina winter. California isn’t so good….that’s typical for La Nina years.
