General: Dry, but some improvement. We expect 1.433" (sd= .68") of rain (6 year average), and have received .47. We received .35" last night, which really helped.
Agriculture: The rain we had this week (a little earlier in the week, and more last night) has definitely helped. The mustard has really started to take off, as has the wheat. It's a relief to all of us.
Energy: My solar panel dashboard is down, but we've had consistent production over consumption (usually 2-3 times more than we use). Yesterday was cloudy/rainy all day, so no real production, anyway!
Fire: Risk is high, for sure, but the rain has helped. Had lightning strikes nearby with rain this week, and that was a little unnerving.
Plants/wildlife: More hummingbirds now, and the birds are more active and more prolific. The wetlands of the beaver pond that the Bannock County Roads and Bridges Department destroyed a few weeks ago is rapidly drying up. We see tracks in the mud, perhaps from the deer, moose, badgers, ducks, geese, and other animals that no longer can use it for water. We saw an eagle perched over what used to be the pond, obviously not able to feed there any more. The water that would have been stored in the aquifer is now going downstream.
water: We're in dire straits, for sure. There is still a patch of snow on Scout mountain, but most of it has melted. Usually we see snow on Pebble Creek ski area into August, but that will certainly not be the case this year. The creek on our road is still running with small flow.
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