Despite near to below normal temperatures reported in May, warm early seasonal temperatures
dramatically lowered the snowpack across the region. Peak snowmelt occurred two to four weeks ahead of normal. As shown in the figure, snow in the Boise River Basin normally melts completely by early July; this year it is on pace to melt completely by early June.
Near-normal snowpack and above normal precipitation was recorded across most of Idaho and
the eastern portions of Oregon this winter and spring; but due to a combination of above normal
temperatures and rapid snowmelt, the reported moisture in the fuels (sagebrush and timber) are at or
above normal. Also of interest, are streamflow predictions across the region. The amount of
streamflow is a good indication of the “health” of both the BLM lands and national forests. Current
predictions indicate a near normal amount of water moving through the drainages and rivers through the summer months.
Going into the typical fire season, from June through September, the biggest concern is the potential large amount of new fuel across the landscape. Once the fuel is dry (cured), it becomes available for wildfires. As the summer continues and fuels continue to cure in the lowest elevations first, the fuels in the higher elevations slowly come into play. The current thought is that the low elevations across southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon have higher chances of seeing an above normal fire season (from a higher amount of fuels due to above normal precipitation), while the higher elevations elsewhere are more likely to see a normal fire season.
