Friday, December 7, 2007

Snowpack slightly below average for early winter

Warm weather hampers snowfall

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By EXPRESS STAFF
Express Staff Writer

These two snowpeople on Woodside Boulevard might be melting, but they are indicative of a Central Idaho snowpack that is approaching average for this time of year. Photo by David N. Seelig

While the Natural Resources Conservation Service calculated precipitation for the Big Wood Basin as 119 percent of average for this time of year, the snowpack is 91 percent, indicating warmer weather and more rain.

According to the Snowtel snow-monitoring site at the summit of Bald Mountain, there were 33 inches of natural snow following this week's storm, and unfortunately for snow sports enthusiasts no dramatic changes are in store.

Bob Survik, a forecaster for the National Weather Service, said that a Pacific low pressure system that has prompted a heavy snow warning in eastern Idaho, including Burley and Idaho Falls, will mostly miss the Wood River Valley, perhaps leading to scattered snow showers on Friday night.

"You might have to wait just a little while for anything big," Survik said in regards to forecasted snowfall for the valley.

Survik said there was a possibility of snow for Wednesday, Dec. 12, but at the moment the system, which is moving from Oregon through Nevada, does not appear to be significant in terms of snowfall in Idaho.

In the Salmon River basin, snowpacks are 106 percent of average, and higher than those in the northern and southern parts of the state.

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South Idaho river basins range from 11 percent of average in the Owyhee to 35 percent in the Bear River area.

North Idaho snowpacks range from 78 percent of average in the panhandle to 84 percent of average in the Clearwater River drainage, which includes the Selway, Lochsa and Clearwater river systems.