Snowpack drops after warm week

Posted 5/13/21

The snow water equivalent update for Monday put the statewide snowpack at 77% of median — down 11 percentage points from a week ago.

One year ago the state median was 113%, up from the …

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Snowpack drops after warm week

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The snow water equivalent update for Monday put the statewide snowpack at 77% of median — down 11 percentage points from a week ago.

One year ago the state median was 113%, up from the 103% median at the same time in 2020.

The Powder and Lower North Platte watershed have the highest snow water equivalent (SWE) in the state, at 125% — down from 129% and 121% respectively, last week. One year ago the Powder was at 85% while the Lower North Platte was at 104%.

The Yellowstone drainage is at 80% of median, down 6% from the prior week and also down from 106% of median from the same date one year ago.

The Shoshone River basin is at 66%, down from 70% last week and also down from 81% a year ago. The Bighorn River basin is at 108%, down from 116% last week, but up from 81% last year.

Only the Lower North Platte and the Laramie basins showed an increase from last week.

The Wind River at 95%, down from 101% last week, the Tongue is at 119%, down from 124%; the Sweetwater is at 62%, down from 65%; the Upper North Platte is at 76%, down from 78% last week; the Laramie is at 103%, up from 99% a week ago; the Little Snake at 66%, down from 72%; the Upper Green is at 66%, down from 69% last week; the Lower Green is at 58%, down from 73% a week ago; the Upper Bear was the lowest reported SWE in the state at 41%, down from 47% a week ago. The South Platte, Belle Fourche and Cheyenne basins are considered melted out for the season 

Snow levels will hover around 6,000-7,000 feet above sea level early in the week, but are expected to rise above 10,000 by the weekend.

Light snow is anticipated in mountain areas across northern and central Wyoming, with moderate snowfall forecast for the Snowy, Medicine Bow and southern Laramie ranges. Snowmelt will be active again below 9,500 feet through early next week, as above average temps are expected.

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