Thursday, May 17, 2018
Monday, May 14, 2018
Your Monday Flow Report, Joe!
Da E-18 runoff keeps on a-flowin', gang, at record setting pace as set forth in a weekend article provided to us by Missoula resident and veteran Group Oner/daughter, Trina "Boots" Clausen. Billed now as a "hundred year flood", this year's initial runoff peaked over this past weekend, causing extensive flooding in Missoula's lower-lying areas.
Today's flow is at a still-impressive (yet reduced) rate of 3,420 cfs with water temperatures dipping to a chilly 44 degrees, best evidence that the upper level snow melt is fully underway. There is still an overabundance of snowpack in the upper western Montana mountains, however, and, a-la Credence Clearwater Revival, this flow needs to keep on a "rollin' down the river(s)!!
RCR---<'///:><
Today's flow is at a still-impressive (yet reduced) rate of 3,420 cfs with water temperatures dipping to a chilly 44 degrees, best evidence that the upper level snow melt is fully underway. There is still an overabundance of snowpack in the upper western Montana mountains, however, and, a-la Credence Clearwater Revival, this flow needs to keep on a "rollin' down the river(s)!!
RCR---<'///:><
Friday, May 11, 2018
E-18: All-Time Record Runoff Continues!
Get a load of this, gang: Day after continued day now record runoff is occurring and recurring in and along all of the rivers of western Montana. Using Rock Creek as our traditional baseline, only three times in the past decade has its flow exceeded 5,000 cubic feet per second, and the third of those days is today with its massive flowage topping the 5,500 cfs mark. The result of this huge push is that, finally, the retained levels of the upper climes snow water content are abating, today down from 150%+ of 20 year averages to a relatively more modest 140%+ baseline...and look for that number to precipitously drop in the weeks ahead as the truly impressive runoff continues to rumble downhill.
Holy Runoff, Batman!!
RCR---<'///:><
Holy Runoff, Batman!!
RCR---<'///:><
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Mid-Week Flow Update
WOW, this year's runoff is proceeding at a continued record-setting pace! As reflected on our updated annual flow chart, today's flow in and along our barometer Rock Creek is currently roiling at 4,319 cubic feet per second, the highest flow measured for this date during the past forty five years...
Here are some comparison numbers: (1) the current flow is 40% higher than the previous max of 3,100 cfs (last year's 2017 blue line on our chart); (2) today's mean average flow over the last four and a half decades has been 1,150 cfs -- today's flow is currently 275% of that mean average; and (3) the lowest flow on this date was measured in 1991 at 297 cfs -- we are fourteen times that rate!!
I regard all of the above as good news (in fact, very good news) as the snow pack in the upper climes is now beginning to melt off and, hopefully, our local rivers will fully settle down to be in fishable condition come four plus weeks from now when the Magnificent Ones arrive on the scene of it all!! If the high flowage then yet continues, however, our traditional back up plan is already fully in place whereunder, if necessary, we will safely fish the 5,000 fish/mile section of the Missouri River just outside Craig, Montana (right, veteran Oner Craig "El Senor Feo" Benjamin--we've been there and successfully done that together before?!?). In either event, as has been the case for each of our prior fifteen Extravaganza years, we WILL fish every single day of E-18!!
Stay tuned as there is (much) more to follow...
RCR---<'///:><
Here are some comparison numbers: (1) the current flow is 40% higher than the previous max of 3,100 cfs (last year's 2017 blue line on our chart); (2) today's mean average flow over the last four and a half decades has been 1,150 cfs -- today's flow is currently 275% of that mean average; and (3) the lowest flow on this date was measured in 1991 at 297 cfs -- we are fourteen times that rate!!
I regard all of the above as good news (in fact, very good news) as the snow pack in the upper climes is now beginning to melt off and, hopefully, our local rivers will fully settle down to be in fishable condition come four plus weeks from now when the Magnificent Ones arrive on the scene of it all!! If the high flowage then yet continues, however, our traditional back up plan is already fully in place whereunder, if necessary, we will safely fish the 5,000 fish/mile section of the Missouri River just outside Craig, Montana (right, veteran Oner Craig "El Senor Feo" Benjamin--we've been there and successfully done that together before?!?). In either event, as has been the case for each of our prior fifteen Extravaganza years, we WILL fish every single day of E-18!!
Stay tuned as there is (much) more to follow...
RCR---<'///:><
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
FW: 4290 cfs Flow Right Now...
...after almost reaching 5,000 cfs late yesterday afternoon...an all time early season record breaking flow!!
RCR---<'///:><
RCR---<'///:><
Monday, May 7, 2018
E-18 Flow News Flash/Update...
...I just checked the USGS website which has instantaneous data availability for water flows and, right this moment, Rock Creek is flowing at 3,800 cubic feet per second which is the HIGHESST recorded flowage for this day EVER, folks--EVER!! The second highest reading was that taken in 2017 (the blue line on our attached graph) when Rock Creek was then cookin' along downhill at 2,680 cfs.
Today's flow is (get this) a 42% increase over that of 2017!!
RCR--<'///:><
Today's flow is (get this) a 42% increase over that of 2017!!
RCR--<'///:><
Epic E-18 Flow
Monday, tidings, fellow Extravaganzers!!
Well, things are a bit active on the Montana Extravaganza home front, as shown by current Rock Creek flows which are cooking along at a whopping 3,750 cfs, significantly higher at this point in time than any other of our eleven other charted years. Below is a link to an article in today's Missoulian (Missoula's local dispatch) talking about the Clark Fork of the Columbia River (which flows right through downtown Missoula and into which both the Big ["A River Runs Through It"] Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers deposit their runoff) reaching record-setting flood stages.
Current SNOTEL records of the Natural Resources Conservation Service show yet 150%+ of snow water equivalents in all western Montanan mountains and what with Missoula's ambient temperatures forecast to rise into the mid to high 70's in upcoming days and with May typically being the wettest month of the year, hang on to those knickers, as there is gonna be a wet time in the ol' town by week's end!!
This is all good for those who have an aversion to bussing over to the Missouri River, but that jury is still in deliberations and will not render its verdict until June 1st.
Best to all in the runoff of it all,
RCR---<'///:><
Well, things are a bit active on the Montana Extravaganza home front, as shown by current Rock Creek flows which are cooking along at a whopping 3,750 cfs, significantly higher at this point in time than any other of our eleven other charted years. Below is a link to an article in today's Missoulian (Missoula's local dispatch) talking about the Clark Fork of the Columbia River (which flows right through downtown Missoula and into which both the Big ["A River Runs Through It"] Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers deposit their runoff) reaching record-setting flood stages.
Current SNOTEL records of the Natural Resources Conservation Service show yet 150%+ of snow water equivalents in all western Montanan mountains and what with Missoula's ambient temperatures forecast to rise into the mid to high 70's in upcoming days and with May typically being the wettest month of the year, hang on to those knickers, as there is gonna be a wet time in the ol' town by week's end!!
This is all good for those who have an aversion to bussing over to the Missouri River, but that jury is still in deliberations and will not render its verdict until June 1st.
Best to all in the runoff of it all,
RCR---<'///:><
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