snowpack

With Memorial Day, the unofficial kick off to summer, this weekend, now is a good time to close the book on the snow season in Idaho.  Erin Whorton with NRCS said for the most part the 2024-2025 snow year was good with above normal snowpacks recorded across much of the Gem State.   “...

Outside of a stray snowflake in the higher elevations, it’s safe to say the 2024-2025 snow season is over here in the Northwest.  So, how did the Washington snowpack turn out this year?   Matt Warbritton with NRSC says there were some regions that had a good snow year, such as the Upper Columbia Basin and in the southern Washington Cascades.   “But as we ...

The latest forecast shows little change for central Washington irrigators.  The Bureau of Reclamation’s May 2025 Total Water Supply Available Forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates senior water rights will receive 100% full entitlements, while junior water rights will receive 51% of their full entitlements.  This is a slight d...

Despite the warming daytime highs, the snowpack across Idaho still looks very good.  Erin Whorton with NRCS said the snow season was a good one across the state.   “We saw wetter than normal conditions north of the Snake River Plain, especially compared to last year, and we really saw a much better snowpack in northern Idaho compared to last year," she noted.  "The snowpack sout... Read

For the 3rd year in a row, the Washington Department of Ecology has declared a drought emergency in central Washington.  Ecology noted in Tuesday’s announcement that back-to-back droughts in 2023 and 2024 took their toll on Upper Yakima, Lower Yakima and Naches watersheds, causing significant deficits in precipitation and soil moisture.   The De...

Washington is in the final weeks of the snow season, and the 2024-2025 season has been a bit of a disappointment when it comes to the snowpack.  As of Monday, the statewide snowpack was sitting at 86% of average.  Matt Warbritton with NRCS noted in some regions of the state continue to see persistent and pervasive snowpack deficits.   “Notably i...

Like other programs under the USDA’s umbrella, NRCS has undergone budget cuts because of the Trump Administration’s effort to trim federal spending.  Matt Warbritton with NRCS said those cuts have translated into the termination of three staff members, leaving five full time positions to cover Washington, Oregon and northern California.   “Across that...

As we move into the final months of the western snowpack season, how might what we see in the higher elevations translate to support of regional water supplies for agricultural irrigation and municipal H2O?   “Following two favorable winters, previously, California's intrastate reservoirs remain in reasonably good shape," noted USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.  "This ye...

Matt Warbritton with NRCS said the Washington snowpack is not encouraging for this time of year.  He noted that many basins, most of which are in the Cascades are in deficit just a month before the typical apex of snow season.  He added one of the regions that’s of greatest concern is central Washington.  He noted the Upper and ...

After months of concern, it looks like irrigators in Idaho can breathe a small sigh of relief, after the snowpack made considerable improvements between January and February.   “We've had a lot of big storms come through the area and so we've seen the snowpack really improve, especially from the Salmon Basin through the south," said Erin Whorton with NRCS.  "So, wes...