Additional Counties Added To Oregon Drought

On Wednesday, Governor Tina Kotek approved state drought declarations for two more Oregon counties. Josephine and Wasco counties join 17 others. This marks the fifth drought declaration order issued in 2026.

Behind The New Numbers

As of June 9th, all of Josephine County is in some form of drought, with 46% of the county in severe drought. Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values for the water year thus far correspond with moderate drought to severe drought for much of Josephine County.

As of June 9th, 54% of Wasco County is in moderate to severe drought, with severe drought covering 23% of the county. SPEI values over the water year correspond with moderate drought conditions in southern parts of the county and are near normal or wetter than normal for the rest of the county. Over the past 45 and 60 days, SPEI values correspond with abnormally dry conditions to extreme drought conditions for much of the county.

The Governor's office said in Wednesday's announcement that drought conditions are expected to significantly affect Oregon’s farms, ranches, recreation and tourism sectors, drinking water availability, fish and wildlife habitats, and other natural resource-dependent activities. Extreme dryness will likely shorten the growing season, decrease water supplies, and increase wildfire risk. The drought declaration unlocks emergency tools for affected communities, including assistance for local water users and expedited review processes through the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD).

In total, 19 of Oregon’s 36 counties are now under drought emergency status. Here is the time line of when droughts were declared across the state

March: