CLIMATES OF IDAHO

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1 Introduction

3 General Idaho weather pattern

7 Sources of data

12 Map of climatic stations

13 Data and summary tables explanation

15 Alphabetical listing of Idaho climatic stations

16 Active Idaho stations by county

20 NRCS SNOTEL stations by county

22 Active Idaho snow course and aerial markers listed by county

25 Climate summary tables

170 Normals for maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures

177 Precipitation normals

182 Normals for heating and cooling degree days

187 SNOTEL snow water equivalent averages

193 SNOTEL precipitation averages

195 Snow course depth and snow water equivalents

197 Other available sources of climatic data

198 Discontinued NWS climatic stations

201 Discontinued snowcourses and aerial markers

 

205 References

209 Appendix: a detailed explanation of table derivations

215 Glossary

 

 

 

I N T R 0 D U C T I 0 N

 

 

Most agricultural operations and many engineering activities are dependent upon weather or climate. Temperature and precipitation are two of the driving forces in plant growth and soil erosion and are also key factors in water quality and quantity concerns.

 

In Idaho, climatic data are collected by a number of federal agencies. These include the National Weather Service (NWS), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), (formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service. Observations for aviation purposes are also taken at many airports. A few stations are also operated for use in air quality monitoring.

The NWS and NRCS operate the majority of the climate data collection stations in Idaho. All data are available from the individual agencies and through Idaho State Climate Services. In addition, many data are now available on the World Wide Web.

This publication presents the most commonly used information about Idaho's climate for the widest possible range of users. Summaries of temperature, precipitation, snowpack, and associated analyses are presented. This climate summary for Idaho includes:

*Locations of data collection stations;

*Summary tables and long-term averages for precipitation, temperatures, snowfall, snow water content, and snow depth;

*Fall and spring freezing temperature;

*Growing season length; and

*Heating and cooling degree days.