Dear Governor and Drought Task Force Members

Dear Governor and Drought Task Force Members:

In this month's Wyoming drought update, conditions have not appreciatively changed. As noted by the first 5 attachments below, precipitation departures from the long term mean shows some pockets of above normal precipitation of the southwest and central regions of the state during the past 30 and 60 days but significantly below normal (<60%) during the past year, and especially two and three years.

Today's Snow Water Equivalent map shows the entire state with below normal mountain snowpack (attachment 6). Last year, the western regions were sporting a healthy 130% snowpack by Thanksgiving only to falter to sub-normal values as the snow season progressed. Hopefully, this season will not repeat this pattern but the long range precipitation forecasts are not favorable for ending this drought any time soon (attachments 7-9).

Current soil moisture continues to be at record low values in the southwest and with depth (>8 inches) at Torrington (attachments 10-11).
Streams are freezing up so the stations reporting have decreased substantially during the past 10 days. However, in attachment 12, the lowest 10 percentile and record low number of streams by total percent reporting throughout the past season shows how dry the state is.

The following are recent reservoir statistics:

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Alcova Reservoir as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 5488.2 Feet Reservoir Storage is 156561. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 1118.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 421.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 84.9 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 421.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Boysen Reservoir, WY as of 12/01/2002
	Pool Elevation is 4690.2 Feet Reservoir Storage is 266555. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 741.8 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 308.7 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 35.9 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full Wind River Flow is 308.7 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Buffalo Bill Reservoir, WY as of 12/01/2002
	Pool Elevation is 5353.4 Feet Reservoir Storage is 357510. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 293.4 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 108.4 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 55.3 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full Shoshone River Flow is 200.2 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Bull Lake Reservior, WY as of 12/01/2002
	Pool Elevation is 5763.7 Feet Reservoir Storage is 44026.0 Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 41.7 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 21.1 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 28.9 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full Bull Lake Creek Flow is 21.1 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Glendo Reservoir, WY as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 4596.5 Feet Reservoir Storage is 180655. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 875.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 27.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 34.9 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 27.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Gray Reef Reservoir, WY as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 5329.5 Feet Reservoir Storage is 1386.0 Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 421.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 451.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 77.0 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 451.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Guernsey Reservoir, WY as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 4396.9 Feet Reservoir Storage is 6782.0 Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 84.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 2.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 14.9 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 2.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Keyhole Reservoir, WY as of 12/01/2002
	Pool Elevation is 4089.1 Feet Reservoir Storage is 115531. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 0.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 0.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 59.6 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full Belle Fourche River Flow is 0.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Kortes Reservoir, WY as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 6140.0 Feet Reservoir Storage is 4571.0 Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 554.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 546.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 96.5 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 546.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Pathfinder Reservoir, WY as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 5803.0 Feet Reservoir Storage is 322169. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 1223.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 1118.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 31.7 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 1118.0 CFS

Bureau of Reclamation Current Reservoir Data for Seminoe Reservoir, WY as of 11/29/2002
	Pool Elevation is 6296.9 Feet Reservoir Storage is 254550. Acre-Feet Reservoir Inflow is 176.0 CFS Reservoir Outflow is 554.0 CFS Reservoir Active Conservation Pool is 25.0 % Full Reservoir Flood Control Pool is 0.0 % Full North Platte River Flow is 554.0 CFS

So in summary, Wyoming's drought continues at severe to exceptional levels (last attachment).

The next Drought update will be released on Monday, 6 January 2003.

regards,

Jan Curtis
Wyoming State Climatologist
Chairman, Drought Monitoring Sub-Committee
(307) 766-6651