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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 generally 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, 1998, 1999, Climatological data, North Dakota: Asheville, North Carolina, v. 107, no. 10-12, and v. 108, no. 1-9).
North Dakota is divided into nine climatological divisions (fig. 3). Precipitation during water year 1999 ranged from about 4.2 inches greater than normal in the southwest division to about 11.8 inches greater than normal in the southeast division. A comparison of monthly precipitation for water year 1999 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 much above normal in all nine climatological divisions in October and continued to be above normal in November (fig. 3). Statewide monthly mean precipitation during October was about 2.9 inches (264 percent) greater than normal and ranged from about 2.0 inches (223 percent) greater than normal in the northwest division to about 4.0 inches (274 percent) greater than normal in the east-central division. During November, statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.8 inch (164 percent) greater than normal and ranged from about 0.4 inch (100 percent) greater than normal in the southwest division to about 1.3 inches (198 percent) greater than normal in the east-central division.
During December, statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.2 inch (38 percent) less than normal and ranged from about 0.3 inch (64 percent) less than normal in the north-central division to about 0.1 inch (27 percent) greater than normal in the northwest division. Statewide monthly mean precipitation during January was greater than normal in all nine climatological divisions and ranged from about 0.2 inch (35 percent) greater than normal in the northeast division to about 0.8 inch (162 percent) greater than normal in the southeast division. During February, statewide monthly mean precipitation was near normal and ranged from about 0.2 inch (55 percent) less than normal in the east-central division to about 0.3 inch (82 percent) greater than normal in the southwest division.
Statewide monthly mean precipitation during March was about 0.2 inch (31 percent) less than normal and ranged from about 0.6 inch (86 percent) less than normal in the south-central division to about 0.2 inch (18 percent) greater than normal in the east-central division. However, snow accumulations were particularly great in the lower Souris River Basin in the north-central division.
Statewide monthly mean precipitation during April was about 0.3 inch (20 percent) less than normal and ranged from about 0.9 inch (65 percent) less than normal in the northwest division to about 0.2 inch (19 percent) greater than normal in the northeast division. During May, statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 2.9 inches (130 percent) greater than normal and ranged from about 1.1 inches (43 percent) greater than normal in the southwest division to about 5.4 inches (261 percent) greater than normal in the north-central division.
Excess moisture either delayed or reduced agricultural plantings and the Governor requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for many counties, cities, and Indian Reservations. Flood damages in North Dakota were greater in 1999 than in any previous year for which records were kept except for the flood damages in Grand Forks in 1997 (Lonnie Hoffer, North Dakota Department of Emergency Management, oral commun., 1999).
During June, when statewide precipitation usually is greatest, six of the nine climatological divisions reported less-than-normal precipitation. Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.3 inch (8 percent) less than normal and ranged from about 1.2 inches (37 percent) less than normal in the southwest division to about 0.4 inch (12 percent) greater than normal in the northeast, south-central, and southeast divisions. However, during July, statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.3 inch (10 percent) greater than normal, and only three of the nine climatological divisions reported less-than-normal precipitation.
During August, eight of the nine climatological divisions reported greater-than-normal precipitation. Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 1.3 inches (67 percent) greater than normal and ranged from about 0.1 inch (5 percent) less than normal in the northwest division to about 3.2 inches (151 percent) greater than normal in the central division. During September, seven of the nine climatological divisions reported greater-than-normal precipitation. Statewide monthly mean precipitation was about 0.7 inch (33 percent) greater than normal.
Temperatures during October and November were near normal statewide. December was particularly warm and had monthly mean temperatures that averaged about 5\xb0 F above normal statewide.
The statewide average monthly temperatures from January through August generally were within 1\xb0 F of normal except for February and March. February temperatures averaged about 23\xb0 F (9\xb0 F above normal), and March temperatures averaged about 31\xb0 F (5\xb0 F above normal). September temperatures averaged about 2\xb0 F below normal, and all nine climatological divisions reported temperatures below normal. The influence of temperatures on streamflow in North Dakota is diminished substantially after snowmelt and has 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--54 years (1946-99) in the case of Apple Creek near Menoken.
Compared to the streamflow volumes during spring runoff, streamflow during October through February was insignificant for the nine gaging stations shown in figure 4 except for Cedar Creek near Haynes and the Wild Rice River near Abercrombie. The scales of the hydrographs mask the deviations from normal during the normally-low-runoff fall and winter months. However, the wet fall resulted in greater-than-normal streamflow for most of the stations shown in figure 4 and in high soil-moisture content at freezeup for most of the State.
The above-normal temperatures during February and March contributed to the lack of snow cover statewide. At the end of March, the only area with significant snow remaining was the eastern loop of the Souris River Basin. According to the "Monthly Report of River and Flood Conditions for March " (National Weather Service, written commun., 1999), "the first numeric flood outlook issued in March was for a minor to moderate flood outlook for the Souris River Basin. As time progressed, and new snow data was evaluated, the flood threat increased to moderate to major by the second numeric outlook."
A snowstorm the first week of April added significantly to the snowpack in the Souris River Basin and contributed to an above-normal runoff as shown by the hydrographs in figure 4 for the Des Lacs River at Foxholm and the Wintering River near Karlsruhe.
Above-normal precipitation in May resulted in greater-than-normal monthly mean discharges for eight of the nine streamflow-gaging stations shown in figure 4. Cedar Creek near Haynes was the only station shown where the monthly mean discharge was less than the mean monthly discharge. Of all nine climatological divisions, the southwest division, where Cedar Creek is located, had the least amount of precipitation in May (fig. 3). The north-central division (fig. 3), where the Wintering River is located, had the greatest amount of precipitation in May. The monthly mean discharge for the Wintering River near Karlsruhe was about nine times greater than the mean monthly discharge. Late-season flooding in the lower Souris River Basin in North Dakota was extensive and resulted in considerable agricultural revenue loss, particularly to the hay crop.
Characteristic summer rainstorms caused widespread significant runoff in several areas. An abrupt increase in the monthly mean discharge for July at the Des Lacs River at Foxholm, for August at Cedar Creek near Haynes and Apple Creek near Menoken, and for September at the Wild Rice River near Abercrombie (fig. 4) resulted from these rainstorms.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 1999 instantaneous discharge
for period of record (ft3/s) for 1999 from highest annual
___________________________________________ ____________________ _____________________ maximum instantaneous
discharge for period of record
Number of Mean annual Median annual 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 1999
complete discharge discharge
water years (ft3/s) (ft3/s)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
06349500 Apple Creek near Menoken
54 42.8 24 268 48.1 179 1 15 3 1,900 9
06352000 Cedar Creek near Haynes
49 34.6 29 102 26.2 33.4 5 27 16 900 30
06332515 Bear Den Creek near Mandaree
33 6.55 5.7 6.84 1.72 8.95 15 24 9 785 11
05116500 Des Lacs River at Foxholm
56 28.9 16 57.0 15.4 93.8 11 30 3 1,330 9
05120500 Wintering River near Karlsruhe
62 15.8 12 54.6 18.0 82.0 3 19 1 652 9
05090000 Park River at Grafton
68 61.5 51 227 133 94.8 2 9 15 2,180 25
05060500 Rush River at Amenia
53 12.4 6.9 62.9 38.3 36.3 1 2 3 1,060 7
05053000 Wild Rice River near Abercrombie
67 96.7 40 560 437 267 1 2 7 1,690 28
06468170 James River near Grace City
31 50.9 33 200 72.0 150 1 7 3 3,400 4
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Annual mean discharges for nine selected streamflow-gaging stations for water years 1997, 1998, and 1999 are shown in table 1. Annual mean discharges for 1999 were greater than annual mean discharges for 1997 and 1998 at three of the nine stations (Bear Den Creek near Mandaree, Des Lacs River at Foxholm, and Wintering River near Karlsruhe). These three stations are located in the northwest part of the State. Annual mean discharges for 1999 were less than annual mean discharges for 1997 and 1998 at three of the nine stations (Park River at Grafton, Rush River at Amenia, and Wild Rice River near Abercrombie). These three stations are located in the eastern part of the State. Annual mean discharges for 1999 were greater than annual mean discharges for 1998 but less than annual mean discharges for 1997 at the remaining three stations (Apple Creek near Menoken, Cedar Creek near Haynes, and James River near Grace City).
Annual mean discharge for 1999 was the maximum for the period of record at the Wintering River near Karlsruhe in the lower Souris River Basin (table 1). Annual mean discharge for 1999 was the third highest for the period of record at four of the stations (Apple Creek near Menoken, Des Lacs River at Foxholm, Rush River at Amenia, and James River near Grace City). Although the annual mean discharges for the five stations mentioned ranked high for the period of record, the annual peak discharges did not rank in the top 10 percent for the period of record.
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 as a result of greater-than-normal precipitation and runoff in the basin, and, at the beginning of spring breakup in March 1999, the water level was 1,444.0 feet above sea level. The water level continued to increase as a result of rainfall and spring runoff in the basin and reached a new maximum daily water level for the period of record of 1,447.1 feet above sea level on July 16, 1999. The 3.0-foot rise in 1999 is almost double the 1.6-foot rise in 1998.
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 1,447 feet, the surface area of the lake is about 124,000 acres and the lake volume is about 2,430,000 acre-feet; whereas, 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 and the lake volume is about 557,000 acre-feet.
Devils Lake "trickled" over the divide into Stump Lake for a short period of time in August. 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 1999 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 specific-conductance value measured at Grand Forks in May was the largest value recorded in May for the period of record.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Water Period
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep year of
1999 record
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
05082500 Red River of the North at Grand Forks (period of record, water years 1949, 1956-99) Mean 518 617 634 598 576 498 461 564 553 501 515 502 586 529
Maximum 700 925 985 1,040 900 910 757 856 829 675 753 674 856 1,040
Minimum 399 440 468 275 400 305 200 325 348 280 266 340 358 200
Number of values 70 42 50 52 46 78 174 96 76 82 65 51 6 882
Measured values
for water year
1999 592 -- -- -- 622 -- 358 a856 577 -- 511 -- -- --
05114000 Souris River near Sherwood (period of record, water years 1970, 1972-99)
Mean 1,220 1,390 1,630 1,760 1,780 1,140 762 921 1,050 1,060 1,040 1,080 879 1,160
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 1,820 3,500
Minimum 710 925 1,250 1,280 540 200 277 345 310 540 128 755 260 128
Number of values 33 33 14 22 28 46 66 31 35 32 38 20 11 398
Measured values
for water year
1999 1,030 1,360 -- -- 1,820 260 690 720 -- 753 777 830 -- --
758 667
06337000 Little Missouri River near Watford City (period of record, water years 1972-99)
Mean 2,030 2,020 2,880 2,420 1,390 942 1,480 1,730 1,620 1,680 1,670 1,820 1,540 1,710
Maximum 3,100 4,000 5,000 3,350 3,020 1,760 2,700 3,100 2,780 3,000 2,520 2,470 2,050 5,000
Minimum 720 740 1,730 1,290 640 400 515 780 750 695 682 900 620 400
Number of values 26 21 10 14 8 35 27 21 23 23 28 17 7 253
Measured values
for water year
1999 -- 1,290 -- 1,530 -- 620 -- 1,840 -- 1,780 -- 1,650 -- --
2,050
06354000 Cannonball River at Breien (period of record, water years 1950, 1971-99)
Mean 1,610 2,060 2,540 2,430 2,740 868 1,220 1,750 1,530 1,510 1,410 1,660 1,550 1,690
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 2,640 4,860
Minimum 650 1,600 284 680 190 190 300 481 288 440 500 730 747 190
Number of values 26 26 20 32 32 57 45 32 34 28 29 29 10 390
Measured values
for water year
1999 899 -- -- 1,640 -- 840 1,440 747 2,280 -- 952 1,880 -- --
2,230 2,640
06470500 James River at LaMoure (period of record, water years 1957-99)
Mean 855 958 1,170 1,480 1,330 625 538 785 786 766 810 861 728 860
Maximum 1,210 1,300 1,550 2,590 1,780 1,350 940 1,210 1,180 1,280 1,180 1,210 920 2,590
Minimum 480 540 890 340 700 185 160 500 170 170 485 480 525 160
Number of values 36 24 12 32 19 41 51 33 30 24 30 28 6 361
Measured values
for water year
1999 920 -- -- -- -- 680 740 670 -- -- 834 -- -- --
525
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
aNew extreme value, maximum, occurred during water year 1999.
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 medium in April and May, high in July, medium and high in August, and high in September and October.
The Little Missouri River drains parts of southwestern North Dakota, northwestern South Dakota, northeastern Wyoming, and southeastern Montana. The largest specific-conductance value measured during the year was in September when the flow was low. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was high in May, July, and September when measurements were made.
The Cannonball River drains parts of southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. During water year 1999, measured specific-conductance values in the Cannonball River at Breien were smallest during snowmelt runoff in March and a rainfall runoff event in May. The salinity hazard of stream water for irrigation use during the irrigation season (April through October) was high in April, medium and very high in May, very high in June, 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 medium for April and May and high for August and October.
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