But along the Greenbelts the buds are popping, and bikeways. March winds can be raw, but by May the soft air carries the scents of cottonwood and sage, and the long spring evenings are lovely. Precipitation averages 12 inches a year, with January heaviest at 1.64 inches, and July the driest at a quarter of an inch. Prevailing winds average 8 to 10 m.p.h. out of the southeast except in summer, when they tend from the northwest. Much of the precipitation that falls in Boise, falls in the winter when plants do not grow.
Summers are dry as a skillet, and as hot.
Boise valley looked like a living emerald to the early explorers because the yearly spring floods naturally watered the cottonwoods. The valley presents a green summer haven to day because of the man made rain of irrigation. The vision of the early settlers to store and bring water from the mountains was a jewel of an idea. The abundant irrigation is the life blood of the valley. Click HERE for information on the history of Boise and Southern Idaho.