Washington Drought

Drought numbers improved slightly in Washington, with 34% of the state where it should be soil moisture wise this time of year.  While that news is an improvement from last week, 44% of the state is under a D-1 or Moderate Drought designation, and 9% is under a D-2, or Severe Drought.  And those numbers...

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey noted many portions of the Northwest could see new wildfires in the coming days, or even the possibility of some re-flaring of older fires, because of a cold front expected to move across the area Thursday and Friday...

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Drought Monitor, only 13% of Washington is where it should be soil moisture wise for this time of year; and much of that is on the Peninsula.  Over 2% of the Evergreen state is under a D-3, or Extreme Drought designation, with most of that reported in the central part of the state.     ...

The Northwest remains very dry with two dozen days to go to spring.   According to the latest drought numbers, 92% of Oregon is Abnormally Dry, while 77% of the state is under a D-1, or Moderate Drought, designation.  Both of those figures increased over the past week.  Meanwhile, S...

Dry conditions continue for much of the Pacific Northwest.  But for one state, soil moisture conditions have returned close to normal.   According to the latest USDA numbers, 34% of Washington is considered abnormally dry for this time of year.  That is a dr...

Soil conditions continue to worsen across the region.   According to the latest USDA numbers, all of Washington is under some kind of drought designation, with 38% of the state under the D1, or Moderate Drought Designation.  The remaining portion of the Evergreen state is considered abnormally dry for this time of year.    ...

On Tuesday, ERS reported the ongoing Western drought is the most extreme drought in the region since 2000.  As of Monday, September 19th, the U.S. Drought Monitor classified more than 18% of land in the Western States as experiencing extreme or exceptional drought.  In July...

Last week, Washington Representative Kim Schrier, voted for the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act.  The central Washington rep said the package would fund comprehensive mitigation and resiliency efforts to prevent wildfires and reduce the effects of drought across the West.  Th...

Weather forecasts expect temperatures to climb into the upper 90s this week, with some locations expected to see highs well above the century mark.  And with those hot, dry conditions, the concern about wildfire risk grows. “Hopefully nothing like what we’ve experienced over the last couple of wildfire seasons, but never the less, sometimes when you have the cool wet springs, you get a lot of buil

Last week, central Washington’s Kim Schrier and California’s Ami Brea, introduced the Fire Ready National Act.  The legislation introduced by the two Democrats will allow NOAA to be more involved in the detection and response of wildfires. Washington’s...