(KLZA)-- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began reducing water flows into the Missouri River at the Gavins Point dam to the winter release rate on November, 23 with the navigation flow support season ending on December 1 at St. Louis.

John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Water Management Division, says releases from Gavins Point Dam, at Yankton, South Dakota have been reduced to 12,000 cubic feet per second which is the winter release rate and that river conditions will be closely monitored and releases adjusted to lessen the impact of river ice formation in the lower river.

As colder winter temperatures enter the basin, Missouri River ice conditions between the System reservoirs and downstream of Gavins Point Dam, the potential for ice jams could impact river stages and water intakes.

Runoff in the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 0.7 million acre-feet during November, 67% of average. The 2024 calendar year runoff forecast is 22.9 MAF, 89% of average. Average annual runoff is 25.7 MAF.

The total volume of water stored in the Missouri River mainstem reservoirs on Nov. 30 was 50.4 MAF, which is 5.7 MAF below the base of the System flood control storage zone. System storage is forecast to begin the 2025 runoff season at 50.2 MAF, which is 5.9 MAF below the base of the system flood control zone.

Mountain snowpack in the upper Missouri River Basin is accumulating at below average levels. About 25% of the mountain snowpack typically accumulates by Dec. 1, and normally peaks in mid-April. Currently, plains snowpack in the upper Missouri River Basin is sparse.