USDA NRCS forecasts March water supply 

On March 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released the March 2025 Wyoming Basin and Water Supply Outlook Report, 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

According to the report, as of March 1, snow water equivalent (SWE) across Wyoming was 94 percent of median. 

The highest SWE in the state was reported in the Lower Green River Basin at 109 percent of median, while the South Platte River Basin had the lowest SWE at 66 percent of median.

Additionally, the Upper Green River Basin saw the highest amount of precipitation over the past month at 203 percent of median, and the Belle Fourche River Basin had the lowest amount of precipitation at 33 percent of median.

Streamflow yields

For April through September, USDA NRCS forecasts average streamflow yields from all basins in Wyoming – except the Upper Green River, Lower Green River, Little Snake River and Cheyenne River basins – at 96 percent of median. 

For these three exceptions, median streamflow yields are predicted to respectively average 93, 96, 87 and 82 percent of median for April through July. 

According to USDA NRCS, median streamflow yields expected across individual basins in Wyoming include the Powder River Basin at 82 percent, the Tongue River Basin at 87 percent, the Yellowstone River Basin at 90 percent, the Lower North Platte River Basin at 91 percent and the Upper North Platte River Basin at 95 percent.

The Snake River, Shoshone River, Laramie River and Sweetwater River basins are forecast to yield 98, 99, 109 and 110 percent, respectively.

Reservoir storage

USDA NRCS further notes reservoir storage across the entire state of Wyoming averaged 87 percent of median. 

Reservoirs reporting numbers below median include those in the Wind River Basin at 82 percent, the Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the Shoshone River at 85 percent and reservoirs in the Cheyenne River basin at 87 percent. 

Reservoirs in the Lower North Platte River Basin, Belle Fourche River Basin, Upper North Platte River Basin and Big Horn River Basin were also below median, with storage at 90, 93, 94 and 96 percent of median, respectively.

Three basins – the Lower Green, Upper Green and Snake – had reservoirs reporting numbers at and above median, at 100 percent, 101 percent and 103 percent, respectively.

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