Idahoans not concerned with winter outlook

Will this warm weather become a trend for future fall and winter seasons?

There’s a lot riding on this year’s winter season. The National Weather Service is calling it a transition winter.

If this becomes the second consecutive mild and drier winter than average, it could become a future trend for Idaho. But some Idaho natives beg to differ.

“I remember a lot of Thanksgiving growing up we didn’t have much snow,” said Jo McKnight, the general manager for Action Motor Sports..

You won’t find a concerned, worried, or doubtful expression on McKnight’s face when you bring up small talk of the warm, Idaho weather this year.

“It’s temporary, it doesn’t last, it’ll always change,” said McKnight.

Which is surprising because he sells snobwmobiles.

“The weather certainly controls us, but it’s been better than you think, we’ve had hundreds of people in this fall,” said McKnight.

And he has already sold more than 300 snowmobiles this Fall alone.

“There really is snow, you don’t see it in your driveway, but it’ll surprise you if you get up high how deep it is,” said McKnight.

But that’s the other issue — the Snake River Plain.

Precipitation totals for this year have been low — the Snake River Plain has only seen 7.24 inches of precipitable water which is 3 inches less than last year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the weak El Nino pattern forecasted for this winter — which brings warm and mild conditions — is phasing into a neutral stage, leaving more uncertainty to our winter outlook.
“Right now, we’re in a neutral phase, so basically they can go either way. But, that being said thus far, we’re sitting here in the end of November with the month having higher temperatures than average,” said Corey Loveland, the service hydrologist of the National Weather Service in Pocatello.

And next week is looking to stay with the warming trend.

Loveland says as long as the higher elevations see a good snowpack this winter, we should be okay in our reservoir levels this spring. This weekend’s storm will help add more snow in the mountains.