10/12/07 Very dry conditions

The proof they say is in the pudding or in this case in the teacups on a chart. The Bureau of Reclamation says the upper Snake River reservoirs only have 12 percent of the water they could hold. American Falls is at five percent capacity, Palisades at a dismal two percent and Jackson only at 31 percent. It's a little better on the Boise system with 25 percent of capacity. USDA meteorologist Eric Luebehusen says Idaho isn't alone when it comes to a lack of moisture and poor reservoir carryover. LUEBEHUSEN "While the rain they've received and mountain snow with these past several storm systems is certainly helpful in terms of agricultural interests its going to take several years I believe of a pattern shift of wetter weather across the West to improve the long term outlook out West." Luebehusen says we're getting the La Nina effect now thanks to the colder than normal sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific. LUEBEHUSEN "That moves the jet stream around a little bit. You end up with a higher than normal confidence that you'll be warmer than normal across much of the lower 48." What that will mean for Idaho is still to be determined. Most experts say we're going to need a normal or above normal snowpack this winter to provide the storage water that agriculture will need next spring and summer. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott