Washington drought alert

Washington declared a statewide drought emergency on April 8 after a warm winter left the state with about half its usual snowpack. (ecology.wa.gov) The Washington Department of Ecology said projected summer water supplies are likely to fall well short of demand, even after October through February precipitation reached 104% of normal. Too much of that moisture fell as rain instead of snow. (ecology.wa.gov) The state’s April 1 snow water equivalent — the amount of water stored in the snowpack — was 52% of normal, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Fourteen Washington snow stations were at record lows for that date, and nine more were at their second-lowest levels on record. (nrcs.usda.gov) Washington law treats drought as a water-supply problem, not just a lack of rain. The state can declare drought when water supply falls below 75% of normal and the shortage is likely to cause hardship for people, farms, or the environment. (ecology.wa.gov) That threshold now applies statewide, making 2026 Washington’s fourth consecutive drought declaration and the fourth statewide drought emergency since 2015. Seven of the past 10 years have brought drought to part or all of the state. (ecology.wa.gov) The risks are uneven. Ecology said Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett planned early for dry conditions and do not expect impacts for their customers, while irrigators and fish habitat in other basins face sharper pressure. (ecology.wa.gov) The Yakima Basin is already flashing red. Ecology said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s initial April-through-September estimate gives proratable water-right holders a 44% water allocation, a level the agency called “very low and concerning” for agriculture and fish. (ecology.wa.gov) Low snow matters because Washington uses mountain snow like a reservoir that melts slowly into rivers through summer. Drought.gov says roughly three-quarters of Cascade runoff starts as snowpack, so a weak snow year can cut streamflows and raise water temperatures when demand is highest. (drought.gov) State officials are also looking at fire risk. Ecology said low snowpack and early melt-off are raising wildfire concerns, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on April 9 that El Niño is likely to emerge in May through July 2026 with a 61% chance and persist through at least the end of 2026. (ecology.wa.gov) (cpc.ncep.noaa.gov) At the federal level, the U.S. Forest Service is reorganizing as fire season approaches. The agency said on April 1 that it will unify its research program, close many research and development facilities, and keep fire and aviation operations in place during the transition. (fs.usda.gov 1) (fs.usda.gov 2) Washington entered spring with wet skies, thin snow, and a drought order that now covers every watershed in the state. What happens next depends on how much water is left to melt — and how long the heat lasts. (ecology.wa.gov)