Missouri River runoff forecast to be low due to reduced snowpack this season

With warmer temperatures, snow melt increases. Although you can't see much here, snowpack to the north matters greatly to help fill the Missouri River into the spring.

In a news release from the US Army Corps of Engineers, John Raus explains, "With below average planes and mountain snowpack, we are forecasting a below average runoff here for the basin."

This causes concerns for future months. Now, when we take a look at the current snowpack map, you're not seeing too much across the mountainous regions off to the west or off to the north. This acts as a slow release of water as it continues to melt, heading deeper into spring which is going to be helping fill the Missouri River basin, making its way all the way back down towards Mid-Missouri.

According to US Army Corps of Engineer, January saw a 92% of average runoff. What does that mean? This means the US Army Corps of Engineer didn't see as much in terms of what they typically see in water flowing into the Missouri River Basin.

The forecast for 2025 puts the Missouri River runoff at 80% of the average. The good news is we could be seeing an increase as we head towards April for that snow. That's typically when the mountainous region sees the most and holds the most snow.

On current drought monitor impact maps, things aren't looking too great. We're tracking severe to moderate drought across much of the Missouri River basin, which means as it heads towards Mid- Missouri, we're not going to probably be seeing as much in terms of flow as we head towards the growing season. This could be potentially harmful for farmers and any transportation on the Missouri River.

In the 8-14 day precipitation outlook, things aren't looking positive in terms of relief as average rainfall totals are expected.