Temperatures in the high 80s Tuesday won’t raise the Boise River. But that could change
Temperatures in Boise are expected to reach the upper 80s Tuesday, the warmest day of this week, but so far there are no plans to increase the outflow from Lucky Peak dam into the Boise River in anticipation of increased runoff, the Army Corp of Engineers said Monday.
That could change, however, if the Corps and the Bureau of Reclamation determine that the temperature spike triggers a rapid rise in snowmelt runoff into the river system, spokeswoman Gina Bartusch said. At the same time, warmer weather also could prompt irrigators to draw more from the system, reducing flow.
After Tuesday’s highs — possibly the warmest day of 2017 to date — daily high temperatures in Boise are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees lower Wednesday and the rest of the week.
The measured river flow at the Glenwood bridge gauge Monday hovered around 8,800 cubic feet per second. Flood stage occurs when the flow exceeds 7,000 feet per second.
Bill Dentzer: 208-377-6438, @DentzerNews
This story was originally published May 22, 2017 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Temperatures in the high 80s Tuesday won’t raise the Boise River. But that could change."