Idaho Climate and Water Resource Forecasts for the 2007 Water Year

October 17, 2006
Boise, Idaho

The Climate Impacts Group Annual Fall Forecast Meetings

Every fall, the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington hosts workshops highlighting the seasonal climate forecast and water resource outlook for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) for the upcoming water year.

The information presented at these meetings provides public and private resource managers the opportunity to consider how projected seasonal streamflow levels may affect operational decisions in the Pacific Northwest.

The meetings also provide the opportunity to learn about new water resource forecasting techniques and tools.

Quick Links:

General meeting information

Agenda and Presentations

Location Information

Contact CIG

Breakdown of meeting participants
(click on image for larger size)

General Meeting Information

The Climate Impacts Group's (CIG's) Idaho fall forecast meeting provided an opportunity to hear how forecasted climate conditions for the winter 2006-2007 may affect regional climate and streamflow conditions in the Columbia and Snake River Basins in 2007. The meeting also provided a forum for sharing the latest research on climate impacts and climate forecasting in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

The CIG's fall forecast meetings are open to the public. Past meeting participants have included:

federal, state, and local level water resource managers,
public and private electric utility managers,
consultants,
public lands managers,
agricultural specialists,
non-profit organizations,
tribal members and technical staff, and
researchers.

A list of final participants for this year's meeting is available here (pdf).

Agenda and Presentations

9:00-9:10	Welcome and introductions – Hal Anderson, IDWR and Philip Mote, UW
9:10-9:50	Winter 2005-06 climate recap and outlook for winter 2006-07 – Philip Mote, UW
9:50-10:15	Overview of the 2006 water year in Idaho - Steve Burrell, IDWR
10:15-10:30	Break
10:30-11:10	Seasonal outlooks for hydrology and water resources: Streamflow forecasts for major western U.S. river systems (with emphasis on the Columbia and Snake River basins) and reservoir forecasts for the Snake – Alan Hamlet, UW
11:10-11:35	Seasonal volume forecasts using Ensemble Streamflow Prediction for the 2007 Water Year – Kevin Berghoff, NWS River Forecast Center
11:35-12:05	New temperature and precipitation forecast tools – Jay Breidenbach, NOAA National Weather Service
12:05-1:00	Lunch (provided)
1:00-1:25	Optimized flood control in the Columbia River Basin for global warming scenarios – Alan Hamlet, UW
1:25-1:50	Mother Nature's curve balls in 2006 and what we need for 2007 (pdf)- Ron Abramovich, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
1:50-2:15	Medium-range hydrometeorological forecasts of the Big Wood Basin in 2006 - Von Walden and Karen Humes, University of Idaho
2:15-2:40	Recent climate change modeling results – Eric Salathé, UW
2:40-2:55	Break
2:55-3:20	Addressing climate change in reservoir studies - Patrick McGrane, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
3:20-3:50	Presentation on the Idaho Water Resources Board Comprehensive Aquifer Planning effort - Hal Anderson, IDWR
3:50-3:55	Preview of new decision support products from the UW and meeting wrap-up – Lara Whitely Binder, UW
3:55-4:00	Meeting wrap-up - Hal Anderson, IDWR, and Lara Whitely Binder, UW

Meeting Location

The Idaho Climate and Water Forecast meeting was held at the Idaho Department of Water Resources in Boise (map).

322 E. Front St
PO Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0098
Ph: (208) 287-4800

Other Climate Meetings of Interest

Climate and Water Forecasts for the 2007 Water Year - October 3, 2006 (Kelso, Washington)

The Climate and Water Forecasts meeting for Washington and Oregon provided the opportunity to hear how forecasted climate conditions for the winter 2006-2007 may affect regional climate and streamflow conditions in the Columbia River Basin and western Washington and Oregon. Visit the meeting web site to learn more.

The Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington
Questions? Contact Lara Whitely Binder, 206-616-5349