Boise imitating Seattle?

One of the first things you notice about Boise and the Treasure Valley when you come here in the winter months is how brown everything is.  Many of our newcomers are relocating from the coastal states, and invariably they ask "is it always this brown here?"  And, it being winter still, the answer is "yes, for awhile longer".

Boise sits on the Boise River, and the name really does derive from the first explorers seeing the trees along the river course as they came over the hill at what is now called Bonneville Point.  The Boise River, and the Snake River a bit to the south, flow through what is called "high desert".  Our annual recipitation (including snowfall of about 21 inches) is 11.7 inches.  Compare that to Seattle and Portland's 36.2 inches, San Francisco's 20.4 inches, San Diego's 9.9, or Phoenix's 7.6...

This past January was the second driest on record, with a scant 0.19 inches (normal average is 1.39inches).  The first two weeks of February were very delightful, with temperatures getting near 60, and nearly everyone talking about an early Spring.  Put the skis away, get out the clubs, because they're playing on the real greens already!  Some of the recent arrivals were no doubt lulled into believing it, especially after hearing the radio and tv newspeople speculating about the possibilities of another low water year (after last year's abundance).

But the past week has reminded us all how quickly things can change.  February average rainfall is 1.14 inches, and we've already had 1.16.  We've had snow twice in the last three days, and the evening weather report has been predicting rain and/or snow for the next week or so (quite a bold prediction for the high desert).  The mountains are getting lots of new snow every day, so the snowpack is building at just the right time for our water needs later in the year.  In the summer months, the newcomers ask "how do you keep it so green?"... irrigation, irrigation, irrigation.  Ski on it today, and water your lawn with it in August.

Rain every day, eh?  Boise imitating Seattle...