Tag Archives: projection

Upper Savannah reservoirs enter Drought Level 1

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The three reservoirs on the Savannah River operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers entered the first drought level today when pool elevation at Thurmond Lake dipped below 326 feet above mean sea level (ft-msl). Entering … Continue reading

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Commander: Persistent, below normal rainfall expected to impact lake levels

Since I took command of the Savannah District in June 2015 we’ve been fortunate to have adequate, and sometimes abundant, rainfall and inflows to maintain full reservoir levels. Beginning in January we observed below-average rainfall throughout the basin, yet were … Continue reading

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Listening to the pulse of the Savannah River

A soft breeze rustled the marsh grasses as James “Jim” Rothnie carefully placed a fresh canvas on his easel. Morning light sparkled on the waters of the ACE Basin nearby. Quietly, he crept closer to the dozen lounging birds, their … Continue reading

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Dry conditions begin to emerge as inflows decrease

The last three months of 2015 brought with it a surge of precipitation that exceeded normal rainfall by more than 200 percent across the upper Savannah River Basin. At Thurmond in particular December rainfall approached 300 percent of normal, soaking … Continue reading

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November rainfall continues October’s precedent

November rainfall at the projects has already exceeded the month’s averages on the heels of October’s record-setting pace. To date, Russell outpaces the others by more than doubling its average of 3.5 inches in 12 days. Russell captured 7.4 inches, … Continue reading

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And so it begins … hopefully

If you harbored even remote doubts about NOAA climatologists’ wet winter predictions, October’s rain most likely washed them away.

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Evidence continues to point to wet winter for the basin

Last week, climatologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued their winter outlook for 2015-2016. Based on their predictions, the southern U.S. can expect a cooler, wetter winter, whereas the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes regions should experience … Continue reading

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What to expect with this year’s winter drawdown and refill

If we were to use the current conditions of the Savannah River Basin as indicators, it would seem reasonable to conclude we are facing imminent drought.

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Reservoirs return to their routines as summer arrives

The erratic spring cycle of high highs and low lows appears to have leveled off in June, as each of the sub-basins arrived much closer to its 67-year average for the first month of summer.

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Lakes help prognosticator make good on Groundhog Day prediction

Way back in February, I gave my “Groundhog Day” reservoir predictions for Memorial Day, the beginning of the summer recreation season. Let’s see how I did this year:

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