VIDEO: While the Washington State Department of Ecology declared a drought declaration, extreme drought has been reported in North Idaho by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The panhandle mountains are 15 inches below average precipitation, according to Dan Borsum, a Predictive Services Meteorologist for Northern Rockies Coordination Center, which is contracted through the U.S. Forest Service.
What does this mean for wildfire season? Borsum said Monday it really depends on how much precipitation we receive in May and June. “If that does not arrive, then certainly, our predictions from the Northern Rockies Coordination Center are going to dramatically shift toward much greater concern," Borsum said. The snowpack and lack of precipitation early this spring positioned North Idaho for severe to extreme drought.