US Northwest river runoff remained unchanged at 83 pct — NWRFC

Sept 18 (Reuters) — Projected water runoff at The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon held at 83 percent of normal for April-September, the U.S. Northwest River Forecast Center (NWRFC) said on Friday. That is unchanged from the prior forecast of 83 percent of normal. See NWRFC. In the 2025 water year, actual runoff at The Dalles from April to September was 76 percent. The Dalles is the next-to-last dam on the Columbia River and a key point to measure the volume of water available for power generation in the Northwest, which receives about 65 percent of its power from hydroelectric dams. Portland, Oregon-based NWRFC is an arm of the National Weather Service (NWS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For additional analysis, see Thomson Reuters Analytics for North American natural gas at and North American power at The following table shows the latest NWRFC forecasts for the 2026 water year versus the actual runoff in 2025 as a percentage. The water year started on Oct. 1. 2026 2026 2027 2025 Sep 18 Sep 17 Sep 18 Pvs Yr Forecast Forecast Forecast Actual Pct Pct Pct Pct COLUMBIA RIVER Mica, BC Apr-Sep 108 108