U.S. Drought Monitor

In Washington, over 80% of the state is considered Abnormally Dry for this time of year, a significant jump from the 53% reported this time last week.  Currently 23% of the state is under a D1, or Moderate Drought designation, unchanged from last week.  Current...

As we start the month of May, several parts of the Northwest are already reporting dry soil conditions.     According to the latest numbers from USDA, 46% of Idaho is Abnormally Dry, or under a D0 drought designation.  Much of that stretches from the panhandle, south across the foothills of the Rockies to the Wyoming border.  On top of that, 1...

Perhaps most of us are unaware just how connected the Agriculture Department is with the federal agency associated with space exploration and travel.    “We look at the earth is like a living organism, and we need to monitor it and understand what changes are occurring, and what are the causes of those changes,” said Brad Doorn of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .  Doorn has USDA

It may be winter, but some portions of the Northwest continue to deal with drought conditions.  The latest figures from the U.S. Drought Monitor show over 66% of Washington on par with soil moisture numbers for this time of year.  The dry conditions are primarily found in the central portion of the state stretching down to the Palouse and the L/C Valley.     O...

Despite recent rain and the end of fire season, much of the Pacific Northwest remains very dry.  Dr. Guillaume Mauger, Washington’s State Climatologist, has been tracking regional conditions.   “The last 30 days gets more extreme, especially in eastern Oregon and across Idaho and western Montana, for temperature as well as precipitation,” he noted.   According to the latest...

While a low-pressure system brought cooler wetter weather to the Northwest last week, it wasn’t enough to put a sizable dent in this year’s drought.  Latest figures from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows while none of Washington is currently under the D-3, or Extreme Drought designation, the portion of the state under a D-2, or Severe Drought, increased from 4% to 10%.     In ...