SPOKANE, Wash. — The biggest snowmelt month for the Inland Northwest isn’t starting with much snow this year.
Snowpack in the Spokane River Basin and across the region is the lowest on May 1 since 2016. That also happens to be the last time there was a strong El Niño.
SNOWPACK MAY 2024-05-02 164148.png
May is usually when we see the most snowmelt and the highest river flows around the region. Recent colder weather dropped flow in the Spokane River after a warm start to April. With such little snow compared to the past few years, it seems unlikely river flows will get close to last year’s. The earlier that stream flows peak, the earlier water restrictions are possible come summer.
SPO RIVER MAY 2024.png
Early-melting snowpack can dry out soil and vegetation in the higher elevations and contribute to wildfire danger in the summer. Summer and spring weather conditions contribute more to the severity of wildfire season than the snowpack itself.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.