Three unusual runoff years in the Humboldt Basin, Nevada, 1940-41, 1941-42, and 1942-43

Submitted by Armida on Fri, 02/15/2013 - 16:48
TitleThree unusual runoff years in the Humboldt Basin, Nevada, 1940-41, 1941-42, and 1942-43
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference1943
AuthorsChurch, J. E., and Boardman H. P.
Conference Name11th Annual Western Interstate Snow Survey Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 11th Annual Western Interstate Snow Survey Conference
Date PublishedJune 1943
PublisherAmerican Geophysical Union, Transactions, Part III:
Conference LocationCorvallis, Oregon
KeywordsForecast accuracy
Abstract

Double normal precipitation from April to June produced an excess of 121,500 acre-feet above the 150,000 acre-feet forecast for the Humboldt River, Nevada during the 1941 runoff season. The forecast for 1942 based solely on snow cover was for 193,200 acre-feet, actual flow was 493,200 acre-feet an excess of 139.8% normal/ The excess flow in 1942 was caused by the high water table resulting from the heavy 1941 and early 1942 rains. Actual flow in 1943 was 200% normal due to high moisture content of the soil. Streamflow caused by high water table is distributed throughout the runoff season.
URL/files/PDFs/1943Church_Boardman.pdf