Snowpack, reservoirs above normal levels this year

After a drier-than-normal year last year, reservoirs and snowpack are above average levels across the Gem State.

“We’ve received a lot of good snowpack especially in the months of October, November,” said Corey Loveland, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

It’s a far cry from last year.

“Last year, we came out from a really dry summertime and the fall came and we just didn’t get the precipitation that we normally got,” said Loveland.

A recent report by the Natural Resources Conservation Service suggests Idaho is closing in on seasonal peak snowpack levels.

“We currently have 55 percent of the seasonal peak on the ground that occurs April 1, so if we don’t get any more moisture between now and April 1, which is unlikely, we still have nearly 55 percent of the snowpack on the ground,” said Ron Abramovich, a water supply specialist with the NRCS.

In addition, all eight reservoirs in the Snake River Plain north of American Falls are currently averaging a combined 120 percent of the season median.

“Reservoirs are looking great,” said Loveland. “The demand for the summer just wasn’t there because we had a lot of rain, a lot of cooler temperatures, so they didn’t use a whole lot of water for irrigation last summer and so we had a lot of carryover into this year.”