National Climatic Data Center, 14 January 2003

As noted by the Idaho office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (Ron Abramovich) in an early January 2003 report, IDAHO Water Supply Outlook Report as of January 1, 2003:

• Storms during the last week of December brought much needed snow and valley rains, but we have a long way to go to recover from the cumulative drought effects and provide adequate water supplies for irrigation, river runners, reservoir recreation, fish, hydropower and all those other uses.
• If it were not for the "big snow dump" the last week of December, we would be telling a different water supply story. Deadwood Summit SNOTEL in the middle of Idaho had its biggest dump since February 1999!
• The rest of the state, however, did not capitalize on the snowfall like the central mountains. As of January 8, snowpacks ranged from 65% of average in the Clearwater and Oakley basins to 135% in the central mountains; this is only a third to half of the seasonal snow water content peaks that occur around April 1.
• Combined storage for the state's 21 reservoirs and lakes is the 4th lowest since 1958. Only December 1992, 1994 and last year had less in storage.
• The dry summer and fall has left a soil moisture deficit across most of the state. Some rivers were at or near record low levels in early November.
• With more than half the winter still to come, the water supply picture can change for the better or worse.
• Selected graphics:
  • Boise River Basin streamflow, snowpack, and reservoir conditions
  • Lewis Lake precipitation
  • Deadwood Summit precipitation