Idaho Drought Emergency In Five Counties "So Far"

Barely any snow on those Idaho mountains, and looks like none on the foothills

The drought has spread and deeping across the entire U.S. Northwest.  One big worry is that without snow cover in Idaho's forests they're dryng out.   From Boise (Idaho) State Public Radio, April 29; report filed by Frankie Barnhill:

Fremont County is the most recent addition of Idaho communities to receive a drought emergency declaration from the state. Blaine, Lincoln, Butte and Custer counties were given the designation on April 10, the earliest time for a state-approved drought declaration in the last five year.
[...]
A dry and warm winter in southern Idaho's agricultural region has made for an early limited supply of water. That's according to Mat Weaver, deputy director at IDWR.

"And because of those combinations and because we anticipate a hot summer, there will likely be a large demand of water for our agricultural needs," says Weaver. "So I would suspect there will be other emergency declaration requests coming."

Weaver says the drought declaration means farmers can transfer ground and surface water quickly, giving counties a way to opt-out of the usually rigorous approval process needed. He says in a drought situation, this flexibility is a relief for agricultural producers.  [END REPORT]