Mixed water supply conditions in the Northwest affect 2022 hydropower outlook

On February 3, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest River Forecast Center (NWRFC) released its latest water supply forecast for the 2022 water year, which runs from October 2021 through September 2022. The NWRFC forecasts below-normal water supply in the southern areas of the Columbia River Basin and near-normal water supply in the rest of the basin. The region has improved from the drought conditions that have been limiting water supply in the western United States. NWRFC's outlook contributes to our Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which in February forecast 17% more electricity generation from hydropower in the Northwest in 2022 compared with 2021.