Breaking the Grip of Drought in Idaho

It won’t last long.  Sunday and Monday may not break 90 degrees.  Monday’s high of 85 could feel downright cool after we’ve acclimated to so many days with the thermometer topping triple digits.  But by the middle of next week, we’ll see a warming trend, and while we may not top 100 degrees late next week, it’s going to be close.  As of this writing, the long-range forecast shows no storm fronts.  Our bone-dry conditions persist.

Drought Conditions Show No Sign of Ending

The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows very little change in severity.  Almost the entirety of the Snake River Plain is suffering extreme drought.  Southern Owyhee, Twin Falls, and Cassia Counties remain in exceptional drought.  People who track these things have told me it would take an exceptionally snowy and wet winter to turn things around before next spring.  It’s possible, but doesn’t appear likely.  The geology south of the Snake River doesn’t help the situation.  Much of the received rain and snow runs off and doesn’t soak into the soil.

The odds of a snow-filled winter aren’t in our favor.  The El Niño system in the Pacific isn’t expected to provide any relief.

Use Technology for a Good Purpose

If I could, let me revive an idea I proposed several years ago.  We have the engineering skills to divert some of the flow from the Missouri River, and even the Great Lakes, our way.  When you consider the volume of food Idaho puts on plates in America and worldwide, why would anyone object?  It wouldn’t be required every year, but would be a huge assist in dry years.