Idaho experts predict water shortages in southern Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — More than half of Idaho is in a severe drought, and an Idaho water expert says that’s likely to worsen in the coming months. Idaho Department of Water Resources hydrologist David Hoekema told the Idaho Water Resource Board at a meeting last week that water shortages are expected in every basin in southern Idaho. Hoekema says a wet fall and record-breaking snowfall in December has been followed by three months of little precipitation and a declining snowpack. Streamflow forecasts range from 20% to 70% below average. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map shows the bottom two-thirds of the state in a drought.