Drought Continues To Spread, But Severity Varies Across The NW

The region continues to dry out, but by how much depends on the state where you farm.

In Washington, 45% of the state is under a D-1, or Moderate Drought; that is a slight increase from last week. And for the first time this year, Washington is reporting an Extreme Drought, or D-3, that’s in the north central portion of the state in Okanogan County. Despite this, 15% of Washington is still on par for this time of year; much of that is along the I-5 corridor.

In Oregon, over 57% of the state is under a Severe, or D-2, Drought designation. And just over 20% of the state is under an Extreme Drought designation. That swath runs from Douglas County through Central Oregon into the northeast corner of the state.

Idaho continues to put up the driest numbers in the Northwest, with over 53% of the state under a Severe Drought.�� In addition, 31% is classified Extreme Drought and nearly 9%, primarily along the Nevada border, is under a D-4, or Exceptional drought.