10/19/05 Mild weather, normal snowpack ahead?

The folks who track this sort of thing tell us that the temperatures across Idaho this winter will be on the mild side. ABROMOVICH "Eight of the last ten years have been above average and precipitation basically normal because there's no major indicator with La Nina or El Nino this year. Ron Abromovich of the Natural Resources Conservation Service has taken a look at the snowpack in the past and based on that made some predictions about water availability for irrigation next spring and summer. He added reservoir carry over but did not factor in any spring rains when looking at the April first snowpack. ABROMOVICH "The Boise Basin snowpack that's needed to produce adequate irrigation supplies is a snowpack of 85 percent of average on April 1. Big Wood basin is 105, Little Wood is 80 percent of snowpack needed, the Big Lost is 110 percent of average. Snake River above Heise needs a snowpack of basically 100 percent of average. Across southern Idaho Salmon Falls 100 percent of average." Abromovich says the forecast is a worse-case scenario and is aimed at helping farmers make decisions later this winter on what crops they'll be planting in the spring. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott