In North Dakota, normal annual precipitation ranges from about 14 inches in the northwestern part of the State to about 22 inches in the southeastern part of the State (Owenby, J.R., and Ezell, D.S., 1992, Monthly station normals of temperature, precipitation, and heating and cooling degree days, 1961-90, North Dakota: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina, Climatography of the United States, No. 81). Three-fourths of this precipitation occurs during April through September. The greatest normal monthly precipitation for the entire State occurs during June. Normal, as used in reference to meteorological data in this report, is a mean value for the reference period 1961 through 1990. Meteorological data were obtained from publications of the National Climatic Data Center (U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, 1999, 2000, Climatological data, North Dakota: Asheville, North Carolina, v. 108, no. 10-12, and v. 109, no. 1-9).
North Dakota is divided into nine climatological divisions (fig. 3). Precipitation during water year 2000 ranged from about 4.0 inches (25 percent) less than normal in the southwest division to about 3.3 inches (19 percent) greater than normal in the central division. A comparison of monthly precipitation for water year 2000 to normal monthly precipitation for 1961-90 for the nine climatological divisions in North Dakota is shown in figure 3. Data shown in figure 3 are means of monthly precipitation for reporting stations within each climatological division.
Precipitation was less than normal in all nine climatological divisions during October through January (fig. 3). Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.8 inch (72 percent) less than normal during October, about 0.5 inch (90 percent) less than normal during November, and about 0.2 inch (48 and 45 percent) less than normal during December and January, respectively.
Precipitation was greater than normal in all nine climatological divisions during February. Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.7 inch (169 percent) greater than normal, and total precipitation ranged from about 0.2 inch (41 percent) greater than normal in the northwest division to about 1.2 inches (274 percent) greater than normal in the east-central division. Total precipitation in the south-central division was about 1.1 inches (320 percent) greater than normal, and Bismarck set a new record for total precipitation for the month of February.
Statewide monthly mean precipitation during March was near normal, and total precipitation ranged from about 0.5 inch (69 percent) less than normal in the southwest division to about 0.8 inch (79 percent) greater than normal in the southeast division. The greatest total precipitation for the month, 2.27 inches, was recorded at two National Weather Service stations in the southeast division. According to the National Weather Service "Monthly Report of River and Flood Conditions" for March (written commun., 2000), "the snow cover in North Dakota was completely depleted by mid-month."
Statewide monthly mean precipitation during April was about 0.3 inch (20 percent) less than normal, and total precipitation ranged from about 0.8 inch (64 percent) less than normal in the northeast division to about 0.1 inch (4 percent) greater than normal in the west-central division. During May, statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.1 inch (5 percent) greater than normal, and total precipitation ranged from about 0.8 inch (36 percent) less than normal in the northeast division to about 1.2 inches (58 percent) greater than normal in the north-central division.
During June, when statewide precipitation usually is greatest, seven of the nine climatological divisions reported greater-than-normal precipitation. Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 1.2 inches (38 percent) greater than normal, and total precipitation ranged from about 0.9 inch (28 percent) less than normal in the southwest division to about 3.3 inches (101 percent) greater than normal in the east-central division. During July, statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.8 inch (35 percent) greater than normal. Only two of the nine climatological divisions reported less-than-normal precipitation.
Statewide monthly mean precipitation during August was about 0.4 inch (15 percent) greater than normal, and total precipitation ranged from about 1.1 inches (67 percent) less than normal in the southwest division to about 2.1 inches (79 and 98 percent) greater than normal in the northeast and central divisions, respectively. During September, eight of the nine climatological divisions reported less-than-normal precipitation. Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.4 inch (27 percent) less than normal.
Temperatures during October were near normal statewide. November and December were particularly warm and had monthly mean temperatures that averaged about 10 ° F and about 12 ° F above normal, respectively.
Statewide average monthly temperatures during January were about 5 ° F above normal. February temperatures averaged about 22 ° F (8 ° F above normal), and March temperatures averaged about 35 ° F (9 ° F above normal). Temperatures during April were near normal statewide. The influence of temperatures on streamflow in North Dakota is diminished substantially after the snowpack has melted, and temperatures have little effect on streamflow from May through September.
The largest mean monthly discharge of North Dakota rivers generally is coincident with snowmelt runoff. Because above-freezing temperatures normally occur earlier in the southwestern part of the State than in the northeastern part of the State, snowmelt runoff usually begins first on the Missouri River tributaries in southwestern North Dakota and progresses from southwest to northeast across the State. Hydrographs of mean monthly discharge (fig. 4) for the period of record for selected streams within each of the climatological divisions verify this pattern. For example, the largest mean monthly discharges for the period of record for Bear Den Creek near Mandaree, which is in the west-central division, and for Cedar Creek near Haynes, which is in the southwest division, occur in March, whereas the largest mean monthly discharges for the remaining streamflow-gaging stations occur in April.
Although many inferences about hydrologic conditions in the State can be made from precipitation (fig. 3) and streamflow (fig. 4) data, sound hydrologic judgment should be used. Variability of rainfall intensity and distribution should be considered when making conclusions about hydrologic response to rainfall, especially for small basins. Problems also may occur because different reporting periods are used in figures 3 and 4. Normal monthly precipitation is computed using data for a 30-year period (1961-90), but mean monthly discharge is computed using data for the period of record at each streamflow-gaging station--55 years (1946-2000) in the case of Apple Creek near Menoken.
The entire State was moist at the beginning of the water year according to the National Weather Service "Weekly Palmer Drought Index Report" (written commun., 2000). Conditions were classified as extremely moist in the south-central, southeast, and north-central divisions and very moist in the northwest division. Although precipitation in those divisions was less than normal from October through January, base flow from representative streamflow-gaging stations, Apple Creek near Menoken, Wild Rice River near Abercrombie, Wintering River near Karlsruhe, and Des Lacs River at Foxholm, respectively (fig. 4), remained above the mean monthly discharge.
Spring breakup generally was a non-event because the unusually warm winter and less-than-normal precipitation resulted in less snow accumulation than normal. However, a late February rainstorm in the south-central division caused sudden runoff over frozen ground in the Apple Creek Basin. The peak discharge that occurred on Apple Creek on February 27 was the third highest peak for the 55-year period of record (table 1). The late February storm and continued greater-than-normal precipitation resulted in a monthly mean discharge for Apple Creek that was the highest on record for February and the fifth highest for March. Also, the Wild Rice River in the southeast division peaked in March, 1 month earlier than normal, because of above-normal temperatures and greater-than-normal precipitation. However, the March monthly mean discharge was less than the April mean monthly discharge, which is the highest for the Wild Rice River.
Continued greater-than-normal precipitation in the north-central division from May through August and in the central division from June through August sustained high flows through the end of the water year on the Wintering River and the James River, respectively. The July monthly mean discharges for both streamflow-gaging stations (fig. 4) were the highest for the year, and the July monthly mean for the Wintering River was the second highest for the 63-year period of record. The June, July, and September monthly means for the James River were the highest for the 33-year period of record, and the August monthly mean for that station was the second highest.
During June, two significant rainfall events occurred in the Red River Basin. On June 12 and 13, the Turtle River Basin in the northeast division received about 20 inches of precipitation from a relatively isolated storm. The peak discharge, 12,400 cubic feet per second, is a new peak of record and has a recurrence interval that exceeds the 100-year flood. On June 19 and 20, a four- to five-county area centered on Fargo in the east-central division received about 8 inches of precipitation. The peak discharge that occurred on the Rush River on June 21 was the seventh highest for the 54-year period of record (table 1), and the June monthly mean was the second highest for the period of record.
Annual mean discharges for nine selected streamflow-gaging stations for water years 1998, 1999, and 2000 are shown in table 1. Annual mean discharges for 2000 were less than annual mean discharges for 1999 at all nine stations and less than annual mean discharges for 1998 at six of the nine stations. Annual mean discharges for 2000 were greater than annual mean discharges for 1998 but less than annual mean discharges for 1999 at the remaining three stations (Apple Creek near Menoken, Wintering River near Karlsruhe, and James River near Grace City).
[ft3/s, cubic feet per second]
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Period of record Annual mean discharge Ranking of annual mean Maximum instantaneous Ranking of maximum
for water year(ft3/s) discharge from highest discharge for 2000 instantaneous discharge
for period of record (ft3/s) for 2000 from highest annual
___________________________________________ ____________________ _____________________ maximum instantaneous
discharge for period of record
Number of Mean annual Median annual 1998 1999 2000 1998 1999 2000
complete discharge discharge
water years (ft3/s) (ft3/s)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
06349500 Apple Creek near Menoken
55 44.3 24 48.1 179 126 16 3 4 3,500 Feb. 27 3
06352000 Cedar Creek near Haynes
50 34.1 28 26.2 33.4 6.29 27 16 41 30 Mar. 10 50
06332515 Bear Den Creek near Mandaree
34 6.36 5.6 1.72 8.95 .21 24 9 34 10 Feb. 25 34
05116500 Des Lacs River at Foxholm
57 28.6 16 15.4 93.8 13.2 30 3 34 295 July 4 39
05120500 Wintering River near Karlsruhe
63 16.0 12 18.0 82.0 28.3 20 1 11 99 May 12 42
05090000 Park River at Grafton
69 60.7 50 133 94.8 7.79 9 15 58 690 June 12 47
05060500 Rush River at Amenia
54 12.4 7.3 38.3 36.3 12.1 2 3 20 1,100 June 21 7
05053000 Wild Rice River near Abercrombie
68 97.3 41 437 267 141 2 7 19 676 July 8 40
06468170 James River near Grace City
32 53.6 34 72.0 150 135 8 3 4 1,510 July 15 11
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Devils Lake Basin is a 3,810-square-mile closed basin adjacent to the headwaters of the Sheyenne River. Geologic evidence indicates that, in the past, water flowed from the Devils Lake Basin into the Sheyenne River. However, since 1867 when water levels of Devils Lake first were recorded, Devils Lake has not flowed into the Sheyenne River Basin and the level of the lake has varied greatly in response to wet and dry periods (fig. 5). From 1867 to 1940, the water level generally declined from a maximum of 1,438.4 feet above sea level in 1867 to a minimum of 1,400.9 feet above sea level in 1940. After 1940, the water level generally increased except during 1956-68 and 1987-93. The decline from 1987 to 1993 occurred as a result of a drought in the basin. From 1993 to 1999, the water level increased each year as a result of greater-than-normal precipitation and runoff in the basin. During 2000, for the first time since 1993, the maximum water level did not exceed the maximum from the previous year. In fact, in water year 2000, the maximum of 1,446.5 feet occurred on October 1 on the recession of the period-of-record maximum of 1,447.1 feet set on July 16, 1999. The lake receded to about 1,446.1 feet prior to the spring snowmelt and subsequent slow runoff into the lake. The summer peak was about 1,446.3 feet or about 0.8 foot less than in 1999.
As Devils Lake rises, the surface area increases and requires greater volumes of inflow for each incremental increase in elevation. For example, at an elevation of 1,422.4 feet (the lake level at the end of the 1987-92 drought), the surface area of the lake is about 44,000 acres, where as at an elevation of 1,447 feet, the surface area of the lake is about 124,000 acres.
Devils Lake did not flow over the divide into Stump Lake during the water year. The elevation of the divide is 1,447 feet (Todd Sando, North Dakota State Water Commission, oral commun., 2000).
Chemical quality of streamflow at any particular site is dependent upon many factors, including source of streamflow, composition of rocks over which water flows, location, and time of year; therefore, the quality of streamflow varies considerably across the State. Chemical quality of streamflow also is dependent upon the volume of streamflow. During periods of low flow, most of the flow is derived from ground-water inflow, which is mineralized, and the resulting streamflow has large dissolved-solids concentrations. During periods of high flow, most of the flow is derived from snowmelt or precipitation runoff, which is less mineralized, and the resulting streamflow has small dissolved-solids concentrations.
Five stations were selected to show the water-quality variability in rivers throughout the State. Specific conductance, an indicator of dissolved solids in water, is used to show the variability among these stations and among months at a given station. The mean, maximum, and minimum specific conductance for the period of record and the specific conductances measured during the 2000 water year for each station are shown in table 2.
Specific conductance is used as an indicator of the suitability of water for irrigation and other uses. The U.S. Salinity Laboratory (U.S. Salinity Laboratory Staff, 1954, Diagnosis and improvement of saline and alkali soils: U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 60, 160 p.) has developed an index using specific conductance as an indicator of salinity hazard for irrigation water. The salinity hazard and corresponding specific conductance are as follow:
________________________________________________________ Salinity Specific conductance (microsiemens per hazard centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius) ________________________________________________________ Low Less than 250 Medium 250 to 750 High 750 to 2,250 Very high 2,250 to 5,000 ________________________________________________________
In the United States, the Red River of the North drains all of eastern North Dakota, much of northwestern Minnesota, and a small part of northeastern South Dakota. Of the five stations listed in table 2, the Red River of the North at Grand Forks has the smallest mean specific-conductance values for each month. The smaller mean values are caused partly by more precipitation occurring in the Red River of the North Basin, especially in Minnesota, than in other parts of North Dakota. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was high in May and medium for the remaining months when measurements were made.
The Souris River upstream of Sherwood drains about 9,000 square miles of southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, and a small part of northwestern North Dakota. Generally, the Souris River near Sherwood has larger specific-conductance values than the Red River of the North and the James River but smaller specific-conductance values than the Little Missouri River and the Cannonball River. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was high for the months when measurements were made.
The Little Missouri River drains parts of southwestern North Dakota, northwestern South Dakota, northeastern Wyoming, and southeastern Montana. New monthly maximums occurred in January, March, August, and September. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was high in June and very high for the remaining months when measurements were made.
The Cannonball River drains parts of southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was very high in August and high for the remaining months when measurements were made.
The James River drains east-central North Dakota. Flow in the James River Basin is regulated by the Jamestown and Pipestem Reservoirs, which are used primarily for flood control. High flows from snowmelt and rainfall are stored in the reservoirs and released throughout the summer. Specific-conductance values generally are smallest from March through October during high flow or when the stored runoff water is released. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was high for the months when measurements were made.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Water Period
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep year of
2000 record
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
05082500 Red River of the North at Grand Forks (period of record, water years 1949, 1956-2000)
Mean 519 617 634 598 577 501 461 568 551 501 515 505 638 530
Maximum 700 925 985 1,040 900 910 757 856 829 675 753 674 800 1,040
Minimum 399 440 468 275 400 305 200 325 348 280 266 340 391 200
Number of values 71 42 50 52 47 79 174 98 77 82 65 52 7 889
Measured values
for water year
2000 569 -- -- -- 612 698 -- 740 391 -- -- 653 -- --
800
05114000 Souris River near Sherwood (period of record, water years 1970, 1972-2000)
Mean 1,220 1,390 1,630 1,750 1,770 1,150 772 938 1,060 1,070 1,110 1,120 1,550 1,170
Maximum 2,240 2,460 2,230 2,770 2,920 3,500 2,510 2,460 1,530 1,640 1,700 1,350 2,060 3,500
Minimum 710 925 1,250 1,280 540 200 277 345 310 540 128 755 992 128
Number of values 34 34 14 24 29 48 67 33 36 34 41 21 16 414
Measured values
for water year
2000 1,260 1,260 -- 1,610 1,550 1,300 1,460 1,450 1,530 992 1,810 1,960 -- --
1,570 1,500 1,480 2,060
1,960
06337000 Little Missouri River near Watford City (period of record, water years 1972-2000)
Mean 2,040 2,020 2,840 2,500 1,390 942 1,480 1,730 1,640 1,680 1,700 1,860 2,540 1,730
Maximum 3,100 4,000 5,000 a3,600 3,020 a2,000 2,700 3,100 2,780 3,000 a2,550 a2,570 3,600 5,000
Minimum 720 740 1,730 1,290 640 400 515 780 750 695 682 900 2,000 400
Number of values 27 21 11 15 8 36 27 21 24 23 29 18 7 260
Measured values
for water year
2000 2,400 -- 2,450 3,600 -- 2,000 -- -- 2,180 -- 2,550 2,570 -- --
06354000 Cannonball River at Breien (period of record, water years 1950, 1971-2000)
Mean 1,620 2,060 2,550 2,430 2,730 874 1,240 1,760 1,530 1,510 1,450 1,660 2,130 1,700
Maximum 2,400 3,070 3,290 3,800 4,860 3,100 2,260 2,930 3,020 3,000 2,800 2,300 2,660 4,860
Minimum 650 1,600 284 680 190 190 300 481 288 440 500 730 1,190 190
Number of values 27 27 21 32 33 58 46 33 34 28 30 29 8 398
Measured values
for water year
2000 2,010 2,010 2,660 -- 2,530 1,190 1,980 2,170 -- -- 2,480 -- -- --
06470500 James River at LaMoure (period of record, water years 1957-2000)
Mean 858 962 1,170 1,480 1,330 635 538 794 796 766 811 861 1,020 863
Maximum 1,210 1,300 1,550 2,590 1,780 1,350 940 1,210 1,180 1,280 1,180 1,210 1,110 2,590
Minimum 480 540 890 340 700 185 160 500 170 170 485 480 855 160
Number of values 37 25 12 32 19 42 51 34 31 24 31 28 6 367
Measured values
for water year
2000 951 1,060 -- -- -- 1,040 -- 1,090 1,110 -- 855 -- -- --
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
aNew extreme value, maximum, occurred during water year 2000.
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