Precipitation for wildfire season OK for now

With last year's wildfire season still in the rear-view mirror, this winter's snowpack in the Panhandle should bring sighs of relief but we're not out of danger yet.

"We're in good shape now; we just don't want winter to quit," said Ron Abramovich, Natural Resources Conservation Service water supply specialist. "We're still in need of more snow. If there isn't any, we'll only have 73 percent of normal in April."

An NRCS report states the 90-day outlook for the region shows the potential for above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation for the rest of the winter into spring, which could lead to further reductions in spring/summer streamflow volumes.

But, with a front expected to move into the region this weekend and the dumping in December, Abramovich said he is optimistic the snowpack and water outlook should be fine into March at least.

"We've seen a lot of climate variability in the weather," he said. "It would be nice to keep the snow in the high country, where we need it the most."

While there was plentiful precipitation in December in the Panhandle, water delivery slowed to below average in January.

Water year-to-date precipitation totals are still near or above average, ranging from a low of 89 percent on the Coeur d'Alene River to a high of 131 percent for Rathdrum Creek.

Snowpack numbers follow similar patterns with the lowest being the Coeur d'Alene River drainage at 74 percent of median and the highest being Rathdrum Creek at 116 percent.

The St. Joe, Spokane and Kootenai drainages all have about 90 percent of median snowpack while the remaining drainages hover near 100 percent.

Five of the six Panhandle reservoirs range from 96 percent to 118 percent of average capacity for the end of January. Lake Pend Oreille had the lowest storage at 83 percent of average.

With near-normal or better snowpack across the state, the summer recreation season is shaping up to be a good one and a better whitewater runoff season is expected than recent years if normal precipitation arrives in the next two months, Abramovich said.

Avalanche dangers are still present, so backcountry skiers and snowmobilers should use caution and check conditions before venturing into the mountains, he said.