Latest Boundary County snowpack and water supply

January 1, 2015

by NewsBF Staff The early read on our water supply for next spring and summer is in. Boundary County area snowpacks for the current water year are currently running only a little below average, with the biggest part of the snow-accumulation months still ahead. Moyie Drainage Area According to the National Water and Climate Center, since the start of the current water year on October 1, the snowpack in the Moyie collection basin area is at 86% of its 30-year average. Precipitation at one monitoring site on the Moyie shows 17.7 accumulated inches since October 1, which is 123% of the Moyie's 30 year average. Kootenai Drainages The snowpack for the Kootenai basin area stands at 73% of its 30-year average. The Bonners Ferry monitoring site showed precipitation for the month of October at 1.46 inches, which is 88% of the 30 year average for that location. November precipitation at the Bonners Ferry site was a total of 2.16 inches, which is 74% of the 30 year average precipitation for that month. December figures are not yet available. At the Porthill monitoring site, precipitation for the month of October was 1.41 inches, which is 94% of the 30 year average. November had precipitation of 3.40 inches--127% of the November 30 year average. November is historically Boundary County's highest precipitation month, according to the National Water and Climate Center data. What the models say According to the Columbia Basin Bulletin, the Northwest River Forecast Center says their complex modeling system for projecting water availability is predicting runoff through the entire Columbia Basin system (to which the Kootenai River is a tributary) at 99 percent of its 30 year average from April through September. The Northwest River Forecast Center recalculates their projections and models virtually every day, based on snowpacks, soil moisture content, streamflows, and other relevant hydrologic conditions. Boundary County's next shot at getting snow could come anytime. High temperatures in our area are predicted to move into the twenties and thirties over the next several days, with chance of snow at 30% until Saturday, when the chance of snow increases to 60% Saturday night. This coming Monday, right in time for school to start back, the chance of snow increases to 80%.