North Idaho: Snowpack strong

COEUR d’ALENE — Snowpack levels in the Panhandle basins are on track for a solid showing headed into spring.

“It’s right about normal conditions for this time of year,” said Peter Youngblood, hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Idaho.

The Coeur d’Alene basin as of Friday was about 95% of normal, while the Pend Oreille basin was at 100% of normal.

“We’re still on track to get normal peak snowpack conditions,” Youngblood said.

So, does that mean Idaho’s long-running drought is over? The same drought that had the city of Coeur d'Alene asking residents to voluntarily reduce lawn watering last summer? The same drought that saw a June with triple-digit temperatures?

Youngblood couldn’t say, adding the peak snowpack is still about four to five weeks out.

As far as Climatologist Cliff Harris is concerned, the drought of 2021 is finally over, at least in North Idaho.

There’s sufficient snow in the mountains, and this spring should see more precipitation than normal, he said.

“We’re not in a drought, in my opinion,” he said. “We’ve come out of it.”

He said for the first four days of March, 3.49 inches of rain has fallen, which is about what Coeur d’Alene receives for the entire month.

“We’ve had this river of moisture over us,” he said.

Harris said the mountains, even at higher elevations, received wet snow, with rain, this week It’s been a solid season of snow in the mountains,

Lookout Pass reported it has received 326 inches of snow at the summit and 218 at the base. Its average annual snowfall is 350 inches.

Silver Mountain Resort reported 215 inches of snow at the summit, and 197 at the base, this winter. Average annual snowfall is more than 300 inches.

Schweitzer reported 236 inches of snow so far this season. Average is 300.

According to the NRCS March 1 water supply outlook report released Friday, it looks increasingly likely the “high and dry” pattern will no longer dominate.

“More active weather and much needed precipitation arrived at the end of February” in North Idaho, the report said.

It went on to add that in order to secure an adequate water supply for irrigation, “we don’t necessarily need a “Miracle March” type of month — as the mountain snowpack is still 80 to 100% of normal throughout most of Idaho.

“We do need at least a normal month’s worth of storms during March, and an above normal month of precipitation and snowfall would be even better, especially for the Boise, Upper Snake, and Southern Snake basins.”

Harris said more showers are coming, but snow in Coeur d’Alene will fall well short of his preseason prediction of 83 inches.

He expects that Coeur d’Alene will “be lucky” to hit its snowfall average of 69 inches for this winter, due to a “pattern of La Nina” over the area that caused warmer temperatures than usual and turned snow into rain.

He said this spring — the first day of spring is two weeks away — should have above-normal moisture and below-normal temperatures. If spring does what Harris expects, wetter and colder, it should dampen the summer fire season.

NOAA’s Official 30-Day Outlook for Idaho agrees with Harris. It predicts increased chances of below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation for March.

Youngblood said the lower elevation snowpack in many areas of North Idaho is above normal. However, the snow is denser than usual, so it could melt sooner.

The recent rains and warmer weather has already melted some of the mountain snow, even at higher elevations, and caused some avalanche concerns and flood watches.

But it's not anything to worry about — yet.

”There’s still plenty of time for change,” Youngblood said.

Even streamflow projections are positive.

Panhandle Region Streamflow Forecasts as of March 1 for the Spokane River at Post Falls, the St. Joe River at Calder and the Coeur d’Alene River at Enaville are showing improving conditions, calling for between 106% to 110% from April through September

Much of Southern Idaho is still facing drought conditions. Snowpack percentages there “have uniformly decreased since February 1.

The Little Wood, Big Lost, Little Lost, Clearwater, and Coeur d’Alene-St Joe are the only basins with near normal snowpacks.