High Heat Arrives in the Magic Valley Next Week

It’s going to be hot next week.  Give it a couple of hours, and some guy with a double-digit IQ who believes he’s clever will point out that’s nothing new in summer.  Of course, we have decades of research in media (he doesn’t) that shows what people want to know first is the upcoming weather.  They also want long-range forecasts, even though a lot of prediction models aren’t very accurate beyond three days, except in summer in the high desert.

An Already Dry Landscape is Getting Drier

We may not reach 100 degrees in Twin Falls, but some places in the valley could quite possibly hit the mark.  And already dry ground will bake even more.  Evaporation of limited water resources will continue, and some crops will wither.  I still see many sprinkler systems hosing sidewalks and asphalt, and I’m not convinced it’s necessary.  Yes, flowers and grass look pretty, but across the valley, the look isn’t natural.

When do we start talking about conservation methods?

A fellow told me a few days ago that parts of the Treasure Valley are considering water restrictions.  With summer rain often rare in southern Idaho, should we wait much longer before making decisions on usage?   Let me put it this way: if we move to conserve for necessities and then get a deluge in late July, I’m not sure anyone gets hurt.  If we do nothing and we get nothing but a couple of pop-up thunderstorms between now and Labor Day, we probably have a crisis of mammoth proportions.

Bill Colley