North Saskatchewan River Basin - Water Supply Forecasts

Natural runoff volumes for the March to September 2004 period are forecast to be below-average to much-below-average for the North Saskatchewan River basin (Table 6). Current forecasts in the basin range from 74 to 94 % of average. Current forecasted values for the March to September period for the North Saskatchewan River at Edmonton would rank 22nd lowest in 91-years of record (1912-2001). The February 1 forecasts are 3 to 8% lower than volumes recorded over the same time period last year. Current snowpack at the higher elevations in the basin is generally below-average to average for this time of year, while snowpack in foothills and plains areas varies from much-below-average to above-average, and soil moisture conditions are below-average to much-below-average.