NRCS releases Wyoming Basin and Water Supply Outlook for February

On Feb. 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released the Wyoming Basin and Water Supply Outlook for February 2026, which analyzes snowpack, precipitation, streamflow and reservoir storage across the state of Wyoming.

The report assesses the water supply outlook for the entire state of Wyoming, as well as individual basins including the Snake River, Madison Headwaters, Yellowstone River, Wind River, Big Horn River, Shoshone River, Powder River, Tongue River, Belle Fourche River, Cheyenne River, Upper North Platte River, Lower North Platte River, Laramie River, Sweetwater River, South Platte River, Little Snake River, Upper Green River, Lower Green River and Upper Bear River basins.

Snowpack and precipitation

As of Feb. 1, NRCS reports snow water equivalent (SWE) across Wyoming at 77 percent of median.

The Yellowstone River Basin saw the highest SWE for the month at 109 percent of median, while the South Platte River Basin had the lowest SWE at 20 percent of median. 

According to the report, the Belle Fourche, Big Horn, Cheyenne, Laramie, Little Snake, Lower Green, Lower North Platte, Powder, Snake, South Platte, Tongue, Upper Bear and Upper North Platte river basins posted SWEs below 89 percent of median recorded from 1991 to 2020.

Additionally, the agency notes the highest amount of precipitation occurred in the Cheyenne River Basin at 133 percent of median, while the Big Horn River Basin saw the least amount of precipitation for the month at 53 percent of median. 

Streamflow yields

For April through September, NRCS forecasts average streamflow yields from all basins in the state of Wyoming – except the Lower Green, Upper Green, Little Snake and Cheyenne river basins – at 93 percent of median. 

April through July median streamflow yields for these four exceptions are predicted at 95 percent in the Upper Green River Basin, 84 percent in the Lower Green River Basin, 68 percent in the Little Snake River Basin and 58 percent in the Cheyenne River Basin.

NRCS reports streamflow yields for individual basins across the state at 66 percent of median in the Upper North Platte River Basin, 67 percent of median in the Lower North Platte River Basin, 74 percent of median in the Tongue River Bain, 79 percent of median in the Laramie River Basin and 84 percent of median in the Powder River Basin. 

Median streamflow yields for the Sweetwater, Big Horn, Wind, Snake, Yellowstone and Shoshone river basins are estimated at 90, 94, 104, 117, 128 and 134 percent of median, respectively.

Reservoir storage

Additionally, the NRCS report outlines reservoir storage across the state of Wyoming, which averaged 84 percent of median as of Feb. 1.

Reservoirs reporting numbers below median include those in the Upper Bear River Basin at 36 percent, the Laramie River Basin at 53 percent, the Upper North Platte River Basin at 58 percent, the Cheyenne River Basin at 79 percent, the Wind River Basin at 83 percent and the Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the Shoshone River at 88 percent.

The Boysen Reservoir in the Big Horn Basin and reservoirs in the Snake River Basin were near median with 95 and 97 percent, respectively. 

Reservoirs in the Belle Fourche River Basin were above median at 102 percent.

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.