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Wisconsin River Report February 17, 2006

Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company 2301 North Third Street Wausau, WI  54403 For more information contact Sam Morgan Phone: 715.848.2976, ex 301 Email: morgan@wvic.com

 

February Blizzard Pushes 2006 Precipitation Above Normal

 

Heavy snowfall on Thursday, primarily over the central portion of the Wisconsin River Basin, erased the precipitation deficit for the winter of 2006 according to Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company (WVIC) of Wausau. Snowfall amounts from Thursday’s storm ranged from 3 inches in Eagle River and Tomahawk and 5 inches in Merrill and Wausau all the way up to 11 inches in Stevens Point. The water content of the snowfall thus far in 2006 now totals 2.35 inches in the northern basin, 0.74 inch or 46% above normal. In the central river basin the total water content of the snowfall, which had been running well below normal for 2006, jumped 5% above normal to 1.71 inches following Thursday’s storm. Total snow depths in the northern basin are now averaging 20 inches in Vilas County, 16 inches in Oneida County, and 10 inches in Lincoln County. Snow depths in the central basin average 10 inches in Marathon County, 10-12 inches in Portage and Wood Counties, and 6-8 inches in Adams and Juneau Counties.

 

The flow of the Wisconsin River is holding steady at about 5% below the seasonal normal. Water released from WVIC’s system of 21 reservoirs is providing about 30% of the river flow this winter. The annual winter drawdowns of WVIC’s natural-lake reservoirs are now essentially complete. Water levels in the five larger man-made reservoirs are falling as water is released to augment winter river flows and prepare for spring runoff. The winter drawdowns of the five large reservoirs are scheduled to be complete by late March. Water levels in the northern man-made reservoirs range from 4.6 feet below maximum at the Rainbow Reservoir near Minocqua to slightly over 9 feet below maximum at the Spirit Reservoir near Tomahawk. The Eau Pleine Reservoir near Mosinee is 12.6 feet below maximum, much lower than the northern reservoirs because of drier conditions in the central basin in late summer and fall. Overall reservoir storage dropped 3% last week to 36% of capacity.

 

Temperatures for the past week averaged 15 degrees in the north, 20 degrees in the central basin, and 27 degrees in the southern basin, all slightly above the February normal. However, the weather system that brought this week’s heavy snow is expected to bring frigid temps to the basin for the upcoming week.

 

 

 

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