Water year 2020 kicks off with below-normal hydropower output in US Northwest

摘要

Lower-than-normal hydropower production amid a cold October ushered in the 2020 water year in the Pacific Northwest. The 2020 water year runs from October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020. Temperatures across the Columbia River Basin were three degrees Fahrenheit to more than six degrees Fahrenheit below normal in October, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Large swaths of the northern and southern portions of the region were drier than normal during the month, while precipitation across the central part was varied.