For some it may seem like a lifetime ago, for others it was an event that could not be forgotten quickly enough; the late February snow storm that dumped inches and in some case feet of snow across the region.  While much of that snow has been long gone, USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey said that snow is what spared the Inland Northwest from drought conditions especially in a spring and summer where we’ve seen very little rain.  Rippey noted that good fortune is coming to an end, and soil moisture levels across the area have dropped considerably in the past couple of weeks.

 

“So, even though that is favorable for small grain harvesting, we have seen some dryness and drought impacts in the Northwest as well.  So, quite a transition from that wet winter to a generally dry summer, often hot across the western United States.”

 

As far as those Northwest drought numbers are concerned:

 

In Washington, most if not all of Okanogan and Chelan Counties are under the D1, or Moderate Drought.  Much of the northern Columbia Basin is abnormally dry for this time of year.  The area of concern is actually in western Washington, where several areas of Severe Drought have been reported.

 

In Oregon, over 67% of the state is on par for this time of year, meaning there are no drought designations east of the Cascades.

 

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