Water year ending with tight supply

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI)-A lack of precipitation during March resulted in near to below normal snowpack across most of the state as of April 1. 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service said the vast majority of sites within the Snake River above Palisades Basin recorded record low precipitation in March.

As of April 1, total water precipitation in the Upper Sake is 80% of normal. 

Snowpack conditions for the Henry’s Fork, Teton, and Snake Basin above Palisades is 90% and the Willow-Blackfoot-Portneuf region is 91% of average.  NRCS said many measuring sites have reached their peak snow-water-equivalency at their earliest dates on record.

Reservoir system storage in the Upper Snake is 120% of normal and Jackson is recorded at 140% for the time of year.

Streamflow forecasts are below normal for the Upper Snake basins.  

As of this week, NRCS believes drought conditions in central and southern Idaho ae expected to persist this spring. Except for Oakley and Salmon Falls, NRCS expects sufficient supply for irrigators across the Snake River Basins and normal irrigation water supply across the rest of Idaho.

You can read the full NRCS water supply report here.