Snow pack levels in Wyoming’s high country are looking good early in the winter, especially in areas that affect Big Horn Lake levels, according to the Wyoming snow surveys office of the National Resources Conservation Service in Casper.

The weighted state average for snowfall stood at 93 percent of average for snow water equivalent readings, as of Monday morning, Jan. 5, up from 91 percent on Dec. 29 and 78 percent on Dec. 22.

Percentages at most SNOTEL sites soared from Dec. 29 to Jan. 5, the report stated, including the Shoshone River Basin, from 79 percent to 98 percent; the Big Horn Basin, from 92 percent to 103 percent; the Upper Yellowstone from 87 percent to 98 percent, the Wind River from 89 percent to 92 percent and the Powder-Tongue from 111 percent to 114 percent.

The Belle Fourche in northeast Wyoming topped the state in SWE percent of average, standing at 117 percent on Monday, although that reading was down from 131 percent a week earlier. Other state averages ranged from 65 percent in the area of the Lower Green River to 92 percent in the Little Snake River drainage.

The report warned that Monday’s readings are still very early in the 2008-09 snow season, and SWE totals can change dramatically. But it also noted that percentages are up from one year ago. Last year at this time, the state average was 83 percent, 10 points lower that this year.

As of Wednesday morning, the Big Horn Lake level stood at 3,632.5 feet in elevation, about seven feet below full pool. A year ago (Jan. 7, 2008) the lake level stood at 3,633.25 feet.