Idaho
Low snowfall this season could signal upcoming drought
Despite some cold snaps, this winter season has been unusually warm for Idaho. This year’s El Niño weather pattern might signal an upcoming drought.
So far this season, snowfall in Idaho’s mountains has been about half what it was last year.
“That’s a warning sign that Idaho and much of the Pacific Northwest may be seeing worsening drought conditions,” said Warning Coordination Meteorologist Jay Breidenbach from the National Weather Service in Boise.
Less snow in the winter means the state can expect a dry summer and low water supplies, he said.
Most precipitation in Idaho happens during the winter. He says it would have to snow about twice as much as it usually does between now and April to refill the water supplies by spring and that’s unlikely to happen.
“If we don’t have the snow that normally falls,” Breidenbach said. “Then we have trouble filling the reservoirs. And, when it comes to our hot, dry summer, then we may not have enough water. “
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports abnormally dry conditions in central Idaho and moderate to severe drought in the panhandle.
Most Idahoans live below reservoirs. Lower water levels as the snow melts means less water downstream.
“That certainly would have an impact on people who use that water and need that water for their livelihoods,” he said.
Breidenbach said these warmer temperatures are most likely triggered by El Niño, a cyclical weather pattern that occurs roughly every two to seven years.
Idaho can still look forward to some cold and wet periods this winter. Breidenbach said to expect snowfall this weekend and next week though it’s clear if that cold weather will continue long enough to increase the snowpack.
Idaho
Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on April 15, 2026
The results are in for the Idaho Lottery’s draw games on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 15.
Winning Powerball numbers from April 15 drawing
13-21-27-43-45, Powerball: 26, Power Play: 5
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 15 drawing
Day: 0-1-2
Night: 0-2-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 15 drawing
Day: 2-9-8-1
Night: 4-9-0-4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from April 15 drawing
17-18-31-46-51, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Idaho Cash numbers from April 15 drawing
01-02-13-35-39
Check Idaho Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 15 drawing
32-36-41-54-58, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Idaho Lottery drawings held ?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
- Pick 4: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 8:35 p.m. MT Monday and Thursday.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- 5 Star Draw: 8 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Idaho Cash: 8 p.m. MT daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Idaho
Idaho state revenues up in March but still behind for the current fiscal year as a whole
Idaho state revenues beat their projections for the month of March, but continue to lag behind the forecast the Idaho Legislature used for the state budget, according to a new state revenue report released Monday.
The good news? Idaho’s state budget is forecast to end the current fiscal year with a budget surplus of $36.9 million on June 30 if revenues come in as forecast for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The reason it’s still too early to celebrate? That projected state budget surplus is $30.5 million less than the $67.3 million projected surplus that Idaho legislators estimated when they adjourned the 2026 legislative session on April 2.
That is because overall state revenue collections for the entire fiscal year 2026 have come in $30.5 million below the revenue projection the Idaho Legislature’s joint budget committee set in January.
“If revenue collections perform exactly as forecasted for the rest of the year, the ending balance would be $36.9 million,” state officials wrote in the April edition of the Fiscal Year 2026 General Fund Budget Monitor report.
The bottom line on the state budget is watched closely every year because the Idaho Constitution prohibits the state from running a budget deficit where expenses exceed revenues.
The recent 2026 Idaho legislative session was dominated by near across-the-board budget cuts for all state agencies, programs and departments in order to pay for federal tax cuts President Donald Trump signed into law with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to guard against state revenue uncertainty and to avoid an unconstitutional state budget deficit.
According to the new report, individual income tax, corporate income tax and sales tax collections all exceeded forecast amounts for March.
The report also noted that Gov. Brad Little’s veto of House Bill 975 means an additional $53.7 million will be transferred from the Budget Stabilization Fund savings account to the general fund portion of the state budget to start fiscal year 2027. By voting House Bill 975, Little ensured that an additional money above the 15% savings account cap will be transferred to the state general fund rather than remain in savings reserve accounts.
Idaho runs on a fiscal year calendar where fiscal year 2026 ends June 30 and fiscal year 2027 begins July 1. That means Idaho has three more months of revenue collections before ending the current fiscal year. State budget officials routinely say April is one of the most important months of the entire year because it includes tax returns.
Efforts to reach Sen. Scott Grow, a Republican from Eagle who serves as co-chairman of the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, were not immediately successful Tuesday.
More information on the budget can be found here.
Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.
Idaho
Idaho competing for new Nuclear Innovation Campus; could double size of Idaho National Laboratory workforce – Local News 8
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – One of the most impactful U.S. energy initiatives in decades, a federal proposal to construct a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, received an application from Idaho on March 31.
“Nuclear power presents an opportunity for Idaho families to continue receiving affordable, clean energy far into the future, and I support the growth of Idaho’s nuclear industry,” Governor Little said. “I hope the Department of Energy will recognize Idaho’s historic nuclear leadership and its strong candidacy for this initiative.”
Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke and state Senator Dave Lent, (R)-Idaho Falls, and a Trump administration official have spent the last two days touring Idaho National Laboratory, meeting with venture-capitalist investors and hearing from experts about the laboratory’s capabilities.
“I feel strongly this is our game to win,” Lent said. “If we can stand up a strong response back and willingness to step up, this is really a chance for us again to lead – be the national leader in nuclear for the next 50 to 60 years.”
You can watch our full interview on the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus with state Senator Dave Lent below.
Lent is one of two Idaho legislators serving on the newly-created Idaho Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force.
The 20-person task force is led by Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke and Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner.
The Department of Energy solicited Requests For Information (RFIs) for the Nuclear Innovation Campus in January.
“Securing this designation would bolster Idaho’s economy, expand access to reliable baseload power, and position the state at the forefront of next-generation nuclear technologies,” according to a release from the Idaho Office of Energy and Mineral Resources.
The state faces competition from Utah, Texas, and other states vying for the same designation, Lent said.
The DOE’s original proposal asks for states interested in hosting “integrated, full‑cycle nuclear ecosystems that could colocate and support the entire nuclear value chain while exploring durable pathways for managing used nuclear materials in a safe, secure, and fiscally responsible manner.”
“These campuses must support functions such as fuel fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing used nuclear fuel, and disposition of waste, and could additionally support functions such as advanced reactor deployment, power generation, advanced manufacturing, and co‑located data centers,” the request continues.
The Idaho National Laboratory already features much of the infrastructure and programs required to implement a national Nuclear Innovation Campus, Lent explained.
“At the INL, we already do most of this stuff already and have for many years and have developed many of the technologies that are used throughout the world,” he said.
Currently, Idaho National Laboratory employs 9,000 to 10,000 individuals, he said, in addition to the secondary work its activities generate throughout the region and state.
“There’s a potential there to come close to doubling that workforce – if some of this work were to come through as it’s being described by the Department of Energy,” Lent said.
Eastern Idaho is uniquely situated to launch the next renaissance in advanced nuclear technology.
“Idaho is prepared to continue our tradition of nuclear excellence and build on the foundation that has already made our state great,” Little said.
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