Why forecasters say winter isn’t over yet, and how to prepare for possible flooding

IDAHO FALLS – Sunshine over the last few days in eastern Idaho is contributing to snow melting here and there, but meteorologists say winter isn’t over quite yet.

As Jefferson County prepares for the possibility of flooding, Tim Axford with the National Weather Service in Pocatello tells EastIdahoNews.com there isn’t a big warming trend coming anytime soon and the cool temperatures are expected to continue for the immediate future.

“We have another quick-hitting system on Wednesday. It doesn’t look like it’s going to amount to much, maybe another inch or two (of snow) through the Snake River Plain. It’s nothing that we’ll issue any warnings for,” Axford tells EastIdahoNews.com.

But there is potential for a bigger storm this weekend coming out of the west. It’s targeting the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, as of Monday afternoon. Axford says it could spill over into the Central Idaho Mountains. It’s too early to tell how big the impact will be, but he predicts eastern Idaho will likely see more snow from that storm.

Snowpack levels are well above normal right now, which is good news for the water supply. Cooler temperatures are only going to help lock in that moisture, says Axford. Throughout the southeast corner of the state, snowpack levels range from 125 to 200% of normal.

The overall snowpack average for the Upper Snake Plain is around 130%, according to Axford. But is it enough to get eastern Idaho out of the drought?

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“It’s definitely not going to hurt,” says Axford. “We have to make up a lot of ground in a lot of the longer range factors. The reservoir levels have been down for a couple of years, the soil moisture has been down for several years now. Hopefully, (temperatures will warm up gradually) and snow will melt slowly and we can capture a lot of that in the reservoirs and in the ground.”

Flooding could result if there is a quick uptick in temperatures and a burst of rain showers, which is what happened in Jefferson County several years ago. In 2017, more than three miles of road were washed away due to extreme flooding. Jefferson County sustained more than $800,000 in damage and it was one of 11 counties included in a federal disaster declaration.

RELATED | Jefferson County prepares for possible flooding as temperatures begin to warm up

At this point, Axford says there’s no reason to be concerned about flooding, but it’s important to “keep an eye on” any changes in the weather.

He encourages people to have an evacuation plan in place and have sandbags on-hand to protect personal property from flood damage.

The best way to be prepared is by being aware of conditions in your area. For a seven-day forecast and live traffic cams, click here. The latest road conditions and closures are available here.