Idaho’s mountains have bountiful snow reserves as we enter the new year, but that hasn’t moved the needle on the state’s drought situation over the past week.
The latest federal data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is unchanged from late December. About 70% of Idaho is in some stage of drought, though most of it is considered moderate.
A wet fall and winter season so far has helped those numbers in recent weeks by watering away the small pockets of extreme drought.
The most recent federal predictions expect much of Idaho’s drought conditions to be removed, or at least be improved, through March.
Snowpack in each water basin in the state is well above median for this time of year.
The Boise, Owyhee, Wood River and Lost River basins are among the snowiest in Idaho – some of them exceeding 150% of median.
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