Rain storms improve Missouri River water storage outlook

But western reaches in Montana and North Dakota remain in drought, Corps of Engineers warns

The outlook for storage on much of the Missouri River’s dam system improved in September following rains that hit the central Dakotas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday.

“Beneficial rainfall occurred over central South Dakota and North Dakota in September resulting in well-above average runoff into Oahe, Big Bend, Fort Randall, and Gavins Point,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

“The above-average runoff combined with the lower releases from Gavins Point slightly improves the System storage outlook for the beginning of the 2026 runoff season,” Remus added.