North Idaho snowpack near record low

Winter is over and the verdict is in on the snowpack.

According to the latest Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, it’s not good.

At least not for North Idaho. It could impact fisheries and recreation this summer.

“Northern Idaho has one of its lowest snowpacks on record and southern Idaho has one of its biggest snowpacks for a second year in a row,” the report said.

Current snowpack in North Idaho is between 70 to 75% of the normal peak, the report said.

It also said 47% of Idaho lands are "abnormally dry or are in drought. Drought improved slightly in northern Idaho with reduction of D2 and D1 drought categories in the Panhandle and Clearwater basins. The seasonal drought outlook predicts drought will continue in northern and parts of central Idaho through the spring."

It described March as “tumultuous."

“Significant snowfall brought many basins closer to normal snowpack conditions, but these storms were punctuated by periods of warm, spring weather and widespread snowmelt. The melt season has begun across Idaho,” the report said.

Peter Youngblood, NRCS hydrologist, said the snowpack measuring sites in North Idaho, including the Coeur d’Alene basin, were among the lowest on record. He had to go back to 2015, “another El Nino year,” to find lower snowpack at this time of the year.

Youngblood said snowfall in late February and March helped boost snowpack, but “basically the entire Panhandle is in moderate to severe drought.”

The 30-day weather outlook favors above-normal temperatures which suggest an increased chance for earlier-than-normal snowmelt.

“Barring a miracle, the snowpack from the Canadian border down into the Clearwater Basin, will peak well below normal,” the report said. “The snowpack in these basins falls within the historically low range. This second consecutive year of drought in northern Idaho will impact recreation, fisheries, and beyond. While not as bad as up north, snowpack in the Salmon, Weiser and Payette basins is also peaking well below normal.”

“We’re not close to digging ourselves out of this hole,” Youngblood said.

Ski resorts, however, have enjoyed some late-season snowfalls.

Lookout Pass got about six inches Friday said it plans to remain open daily at least through April 14 and “very likely” continue for another week, through April 21. 

Lookout Pass said it plans to remain open daily at least through April 14 and “very likely” continue for another week, through April 21. 

Silver Mountain Ski Resort expects to be open through April 20.

Schweitzer Mountain will celebrate the end of the winter season with its annual Passholder Appreciation party and its Schpring Finale & Closing Weekend festivities on Saturday.

Snow could still fall in North Idaho’s mountains, but not enough to improve the drought condition. The snowpack typically peaks about April 5.

“It’s already primed and ready to run off,” Youngblood said.

Reservoir storage at Priest Lake continues to be above normal at 134% of normal which is 72% full. Lake Coeur d’Alene is 97% of normal and 63% full. Pend Oreille is 76% of normal and 37% full. 

Streamflow is projected to be low this year, and made worse by long-term weather outlooks that predict an increased chance for above-normal temperatures throughout the spring and summer.

“We urge water users to strongly consider the 70 and 90% forecasted streamflow volumes as potentially the most likely scenario for the Weiser, Payette, Salmon, Clearwater and Panhandle basins this year,” the report said.