FGUS73 KLBF 222337 ESFLBF NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-231800- HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 1151 AM CST FRI FEB 22 2002 ...THE FOLLOWING IS THE SNOWMELT FLOOD OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA... OUTLOOK SUMMARY... RUNOFF FROM SNOWMELT ORIGINATING IN THE CENTRAL ROCKIES SHOULD NOT RESULT IN FLOODING OF ANY STREAM OR RIVER IN NORTH CENTRAL OR WESTERN NEBRASKA. THIS OUTLOOK ENCOMPASSES THE NORTH AND SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASINS IN THE EASTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...INTO WESTERN NEBRASKA...PART OF THE REPUBLICAN BASIN IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...AND PORTIONS OF THE LOUP...ELKHORN...AND NIOBRARA BASINS IN NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOKS ARE ROUTINELY ISSUED IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH TO PROVIDE ADVANCE NOTICE OF POSSIBLE FLOODING. THESE OUTLOOKS ARE BASED ON SOIL MOISTURE...SNOWPACK MAGNITUDE...AND STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS AT THE TIME THE OUTLOOK IS ISSUED. OUTLOOKS ARE ALSO BASED ON NORMAL FUTURE TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION. THUS...IF FUTURE CONDITIONS ARE NOT NORMAL...OR IF ICE JAMS DEVELOP...THEN ACTUAL CRESTS WILL DIFFER FROM THIS OUTLOOK. CLIMATOLOGY SUMMARY... TEMPERATURES HAVE AVERAGED ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL WHILE PRECIPITATION HAS AVERAGED BELOW NORMAL ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. CURRENT CONDITIONS... NO SNOW WAS PRESENT ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. SURFACE AND NEAR SURFACE SOIL MOISTURE PROFILES ACROSS THE AREA REMAINED SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. PRECIPITATION SO FAR THIS WINTER HAS NOT BEEN SUFFICIENT TO RECHARGE SUBSOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS. STREAMFLOW IN THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER REMAINS WELL BELOW NORMAL WHILE STREAMFLOW IN THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER IS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. STREAMFLOW ELSEWHERE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WAS NEAR NORMAL. WATER STORAGE IN MOST RESERVOIRS REMAINS BELOW AVERAGE. SNOWPACK IN THE UPPER NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN WAS LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF AVERAGE WHILE SNOWPACK IN THE UPPER SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN RANGED FROM 50 TO 70 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. MILDER WEATHER THIS MONTH HAS REDUCED THE THREAT OF ICE JAM FLOODING ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. FOR MORE INFORMATION... VISIT THE RIVERS/HYDROLOGY SECTION ON OUR HOME PAGE AT WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LBF FOR AHPS AND OTHER HYDROLOGIC INFORMATION. THIS IS THE FIRST REGULARLY SCHEDULED HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK FOR THIS YEAR. A SECOND SCHEDULED OUTLOOK WILL BE RELEASED ON MARCH 22ND. ADDITIONAL OUTLOOKS WILL BE ISSUED IF CONDITIONS CHANGE FROM THE EXISTING FORECAST. $$ ROBERG