The Idaho snowpack again failed to grow this week. In some basins the snowpack declined by 1% of the peak snowpack. Without the snowpack growing, as it normally does this time of year, the percent of normal snowpack has continued to decline. On a statewide basis the percent of median snowpack as an average of all basins is 94% (just below normal = 100%). The percent of peak snowpack is 52% (the same as last week). The average percentile of all basins is 44%. Two basins the Little Lost and Henrys Fork have snowpack percentiles below 20%, which places them in the moderate drought category for snowpack. Based on the upcoming forecast, next week several more basins will join this category. A persistent high-pressure ridge continues to block moisture from the Pacific Ocean from bolstering our snowpack. We may start seeing a more familiar La Nina pattern emerge with higher-than-normal precipitation forecast in the northern Idaho at the 8 to 14 day Outlook. But the next two weeks appear like they will be drier than normal in southern Idaho and the central mountains. Hopefully more moisture will be arriving in February. In the last Idaho Drought Committee meeting, folks from the National Weather Service indicated that climate conditions over the Pacific Ocean may be lining up for some atmospheric river events in February. A few big atmospheric events coming out of the southwest, could pull the lost basins out of drought categories quickly and re-establish a strong snowpack.
IDWR Hydrologist David Hoekema
Photo courtesy KATHY MAIN
By ERIC WELCH
Staff Writer | January 14, 2025 1:00 AM PRIEST LAKE — The results of 2024 survey work at Priest Lake indicate a stable population of lake trout and an improvement in fish quality.
Rob Ryan, regional fisheries biologist for Idaho Fish and Game, shared the findings at a Jan. 10 Lakes Commission meeting, and said the changes correlated with an increase in mysid shrimp in the past two years. CLICK HERE for whole of article and HERE to subscribe to the Bee.
I’m Cindy Rehbock, and Priest Lake has always been home in my heart. Although I spent some time away, I couldn’t stay away from the beauty and joy of Priest Lake living. My journey back started with a weekend home, and soon after, I made my full return to this amazing community.
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