Snowpack and streamflow conditions in the Flathead Basin have improved during March and runoff forecasts are near 90% of average. The project is ramping up outflow to meet Flood Risk Management objectives and to minimize spill operations later in the season.
Both weather and streamflows are highly uncertain. A warm and rainy event can rapidly increase streamflows in the spring, and similarly a cold and dry event can keep the streamflows quite low compared to normal. Temperatures, precipitation, and snowpack conditions such as density, all play a part in determining how high or low stream flows move as well as the timing of the runoff.
SKQ project outflows and the Flathead Lake elevation are dependent on many variables including lake inflows, weather, the demand for electricity, and non-power constraints such as the downstream fishery and flood risk management needs.