Hydrologist Olivia Cramer reported that TID's watershed snowpack sits at roughly 525,000 acre-feet, about half of what is typical for mid-March. An extended warm spell (highs 20°F above average) is expected to melt approximately 375,000 acre-feet of snowpack over the coming weeks. This means peak snowmelt runoff could occur in mid-to-late March — nearly 1.5 months earlier than last year and up to 3 months earlier than the historical average. If no significant precipitation arrives, the snowpack season could end far sooner than normal, reducing water availability later in the irrigation season when demand is highest.
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