TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT\/KSVT) \u2014 The final Idaho Water Supply Committee meeting of the winter and spring season painted a dire picture for the state\u2019s water outlook heading into summer.<\/p>\n
Erin Whorton with the Natural Resources Conservation Service said nearly the entire state is now facing drought conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout 80 percent of Idaho is considered to be in drought right now, with the other 20 percent considered to be abnormally dry, given that we\u2019re expecting to have a warmer than normal summer,\u201d Whorton said.<\/p>\n
This time last year less than a quarter of the state was experiencing drought.<\/p>\n
Whorton said this winter\u2019s unusually warm temperatures prevented snow from building at lower elevations and because Idaho depends heavily on snow for its water, the impact is already showing up in rivers, streams and reservoirs.<\/p>\n
\u201cSnow pack provides about 75 percent of our surface water here in Idaho, and that just means that we\u2019re going to see really low levels in our rivers, streams, and lakes in the summer,\u201d Whorton said.<\/p>\n
Statewide snowpack has already melted by about 85 percent, leaving very little remaining snow in the mountains heading into the warmer summer months.<\/p>\n
According to Whorton, the snowpack peaked weeks earlier than normal, due to a heat wave in March, which triggered rapid melting across the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cCooler wet conditions in April kind of helped prolong the snowpack, and we did get some snowfall in the mountains. But then, you know, starting at the beginning of May, it got warm again and dry, and so the snow pack has been melting just very rapidly,\u201d Whorton said.<\/p>\n
Whorton said Southern Idaho is at the epicenter of this drought crisis, with the worst conditions in the entire state, creating major concerns for agriculture and water supply.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany farmers are having to tap into alternative sources of water, like reservoir storage water, much earlier. So that\u2019s like tapping into your savings account earlier than even normally and now that water has to stretch even farther throughout the season,\u201d Whorton said.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service officials also warn that above-normal temperatures are expected to persist throughout the summer, with the potential for increased wildfire concerns across the region.<\/p>\n
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