Low Water Levels Expected In Northern Idaho This Summer

With the exception of the Big Lost and Little Lost basins, snowpacks across Idaho have been almost non-existent this winter. Erin Whorton with NRCS said while much of the concern in 2026 is the southeastern corner of the state, a rough water year is on the horizon for northern Idaho as well. She said this is the 4th year the panhandle saw a snowpack that’s “well below normal”.

"Four consecutive years of drought and that places a lot of stress on the ecosystems and the rivers and lakes that make up in that area," Whorton said. "So, we do expect very low stream flow levels and lake levels later in the summer.”

Northern Idaho Under A Severe Drought To Start April

Photo: Glenn Vaagen

Whorton noted this snowpack will place a lot of stress not only on irrigation needs and soil moisture, but also on fisheries and recreation in northern Idaho. She said in a typical year, the higher elevation snowpack melts later in the summer, mid-July and on, which supports stream flows into August and September.

“And so just folks will probably see very low streamflow levels in late summer across Idaho," said Whorton. "And so, of course, if you're recreational, if you want to be boating or fishing or things like that, a lot of folks will see impacts. So, it's not just farmers and ag producers that'll see these impacts, but, you know, people will feel this across the board in Idaho this year.”