On a winter evening shaped by shared concern and community, Jay Breidenbach, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the NOAA National Weather Service and advisory board member for The Resilience Institute, joined a panel hosted by Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health and sustainability leaders from Brundage, Bogus Basin, and Sun Valley.
The gathering centered around three Protect Our Winters films, each capturing the quiet but undeniable story unfolding across Idaho’s mountains: a diminishing snowpack and the steady influence of a warming climate. As images of shrinking winters flickered across the screen, the conversation turned local.
Dr. Breidenbach grounded the discussion in data and lived reality. He spoke about measurable warming trends in the Treasure Valley and explained how rising temperatures are reshaping snow patterns, with more winter precipitation falling as rain, earlier spring melt, and longer dry seasons. These changes ripple outward, affecting water resources, recreation economies, and intensifying wildfire risk across the region.
What emerged from the evening was more than concern. It was clarity. Idaho’s winters are changing. Through science, partnership, and community dialogue, leaders across sectors are stepping forward to better understand what that means and what can be done next.