Colorado River: January Forecast
The January Colorado River forecast for 2009-10, out last Friday, is the lowest at this point in the year since 2002-03.
he range of uncertainty right now is enormous. In an average year, about 8 million acre feet flows into Lake Powell in the April-July period, which is the peak of the runoff season. This year’s forecast is for anywhere from 9.6 maf (the 90th percentile, the top red triangle in the graph above) to 3.2 maf (the bottom red triangle, the 10th percentile), with a median forecast of 6.2 maf (the red dot in the middle, which would be 78 percent of normal flow).
