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Water Supply Outlook                                           April 7, 2025





	ABRFC uses the 1991-2020 AVERAGE runoff volume as our Normal at each point.



	Snowfall across the Upper Arkansas River Basin was near normal during March. The 

	Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Southern Colorado and the Canadian River Basin in New

	Mexico saw below normal snowfall in March. At the end of March, snowpack conditions

	were near normal along the upper reaches of the Arkansas River, but significantly

	below normal across Southern Colorado. The snowpack is also extremely low in the

	Canadian Basin in New Mexico.



	Seasonal runoff (April-September) is forecast to be 90 percent-of-average for the 

	Arkansas River at Salida and 87 percent-of-average below Pueblo Reservoir. Runoff 

	from Grape Creek, the Cucharas River and the Huerfano River is forecast to be 34, 

	65, and 54 percent-of-average, respectively. Chalk Creek is forecast to provide 

	80 percent-of-average runoff.  Runoff from the Purgatoire River is forecast to 

	be 62 percent-of-average. 



	In New Mexico, seasonal runoff (March-June) from Rayado and Ponil Creeks is 

	forecast to be 30 and 33 percent-of-average, respectively. The Vermejo and 

	Cimarron Rivers are forecast to be 33 and 19 percent-of-average, respectively. 



	Water-year-to-date precipitation (October-March) in the mountain headwaters 

	of Colorado is near median, overall. Reports range from 68 percent-of-median at 

	South Colony to 124 percent-of-median at Porphyry Creek. Snowpack above Salida, as 

	measured by (NRCS) SNOTEL sites, is near normal at 88 percent-of-median. Snowpack 

	in the Cucharas and Huerfano basins is 26 percent-of-median. In the Purgatoire River 

	basin, the snowpack is at 31 percent-of-median.



	New Mexico's water-year-to-date precipitation is near normal. Reports range from 

	80 percent-of-median at Palo to 98 percent-of-median at Tolby. Unfortunately, the 

	snowpack in the Canadian River basin is well below normal at 2 percent-of-median. 



	Reservoir storage in the Arkansas River system is 110 percent-of-median above 

	Pueblo Reservoir and 86 percent-of-median below the reservoir.  The upper reservoirs 

	are at 102 percent of last year's total. The lower reservoirs are at 93 percent of 

	last year's total.



	The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues three-month temperature and precipitation 

	outlooks for the nation. The outlook for April through June calls for slightly

	increased chances of above normal temperatures in Colorado and New Mexico.

	The CPC outlook also calls for increased chances for below normal precipitation

	across Colorado and especially in New Mexico.





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