01/21/08 Climate change report

The folks who watch these kinds of things tell us that 2007 was part of a trend. RIPPEY "It was a very warm year not just across the United States but the globe as a whole." That's USDA's meteorologist Brad Rippey says the data has been collected and analyzed for 2007. RIPPEY "It ranked as the tenth warmest year during the 113 year period of record and of course its worth mentioning that six of the ten warmest years for the United States have occurred in the last ten years and that's all part of this very marked warming trend that we saw beginning back in the mid to late 1970's." Rippey says that has lead to changes in agricultural practices, rainfall patterns, ice melting and other impacts around the globe. RIPPY "All of the warmest years have occurred in just the last decade or so. You look at the top ten list and its all in the last decade or so. We are looking at much warmer planet that we had even just three or four decades ago." Idaho ag producers are keeping close watch on the winter snowpack which shows above normal levels today in the Weiser, Salmon, Payette, Clearwater and Big Wood basins. The Big Lost, Little Wood, Henry's Fork and Boise river basins are close to normal. The Owyhee at 80 percent is the lowest snowpack level in the state. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott