Dry February Reduces Snowpack in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A drier-than-normal February has reduced snowpack in Idaho but has not had a significant impact on water supply.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports that Ron Abramovich with the Natural Resources Conservation Service says snowpack levels in the southern part of the state have remained higher than normal this month. Over the past several weeks, snowpack levels in southern Idaho have fallen from 150 percent to between 120 and 130 percent of average for this time of year.

Warmer February temperatures have caused some early snow melt in other places, like the Owyhee basin. The streamflow forecast for the rivers below the Owhyee dam in coming months is 150 percent of average. In eastern Idaho, Mike Beus with the Bureau of Reclamation says storage levels are below average at the Palisades and American Falls reservoir.