January runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 132% of average (1 million acre-feet).
Despite most of the upper Basin having below-normal precipitation, runoff was above average for all areas because of above average temperatures causing early snowmelt. However, the updated 2026 calendar year runoff forecast for the upper Basin continues to be 91% of average (23.4 MAF).
John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, says mountain snowpack in the upper Basin is accumulating at below average rates. The Feb. 3 mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck reach was 81% of average, while the mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison reach was 90% of average. He says typically by Feb. 1, about 60% of the total mountain snowfall has accumulated, with the peak being around April 17.
The six mainstem power plants generated 476 million kWh of electricity in January, 228 million kWh lower than the January average of 704 million kWh. Energy generation for 2026 is forecast at 7.6 billion kWh compared to the long-term average of 9.3 billion kWh.
The runoff forecast is based on current soil moisture conditions, plains snowpack, mountain snowpack and long-term precipitation and temperature outlooks.
Basin and river conditions continue to be monitored, including plains and mountain snow accumulation, and System regulation will be adjusted based on the most up-to-date information.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers infographic.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers infographic.
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