Low snowpack could affect North Idaho recreation

SANDPOINT — The snowpack in North Idaho isn't where state officials wanted or hoped for, Natural Resources Conservation Service officials said this week.

"Alas, no miracle occurred in northern Idaho, and the snowpack in the Panhandle and Clearwater basins peaked well below normal," according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service Idaho Water Supply Outlook dated May 1.

That could have a big impact on the recreational and ecological sectors.

“People who like to fish, whitewater rafting, they can expect lower-than-normal flows this year,” said Peter Youngblood, NRCS hydrologist Wednesday.

But while the snowpack measured at stations is well below normal, Youngblood said it could have been worse if not for some serious snowstorms in early March.

“We luckily pulled away from record-low conditions,” he said.

The Panhandle basins had a peak snowpack of only 47% in 2015, while in 2018 it peaked at 120% of normal.

“In the ideal world, we’re shooting for 100% of normal,” Youngblood said.

The report said precipitation in April in the Panhandle basins was also down, 65 to 80% of normal.

Youngblood said the snowpack has been melting at a normal rate so far, which keeps it around for run-off in late spring and summer.

“That would really benefit us,” Youngblood said. “We need it to come off as slowly as possible.” 

But that could change.

“Long-term weather outlooks predict an increased chance for above normal temperatures throughout the spring and summer,” the report said.

If it warms up and the snowpack melts faster, it means higher streamflows early but lower later.

Panhandle streamflows into July are projected at 60 to 80% of normal, which while low, is “definitely not terrible,” Youngblood said.

“Timing is really important,” he said. 

The report said that with snowmelt well underway across Idaho, conditions look promising for water supply south of the Salmon River Basin. 

“In contrast, northern Idaho will likely feel the impacts of the low snow year with below-normal streamflow, especially later in the summer,” the report said.

Southern Idaho experienced above-normal snowmelt over the last month which elevated the region’s streamflow compared to the rest of the state. 

Reservoir storage is near or above normal across Idaho with the lowest levels in Lake Coeur d’Alene at 83% of normal. In general, reservoir storage this water year is still greater than storage levels May 1 in 2021, the last water year with above-normal storage at the beginning of the irrigation season.

Lake Pend Oreille is 96% of normal and is 57% full. Refill of Lake Pend Oreille will likely be delayed due to modified spillway operations at Albeni Falls Dam, according to the report. The snowpack in the Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe basin was only 68% of normal conditions when it peaked April 10.

Youngblood said water supply is not a major concern going into summer in North Idaho thanks to the Rathdrum-Prairie Aquifer.

“We're very fortunate where we don't have to worry about that so much," he said.