5-16 FB Snow Report

Variable April weather affects snowmelt. The May Water Supply Report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service documents the variability of April’s snowpack, precipitation, and streamflows across the state. However, adequate water supplies are predicted for this irrigation season.

Here’s Ron Abramovich, Water Supply Specialist for NRCS: “Nearly all of Idaho’s major reservoirs are storing average or better levels for May 1,” said. “High inflows are keeping reservoir managers on their toes to mitigate flood impacts while maintaining adequate space available for future flows. 

 Rain in March helped ripen mountain snowpacks causing snow melt to start in early April. Warm temperatures across the west in late April produced record melt rates of up to an inch per day. Even some of the higher elevation sites started melting nearly a month early.”