Washington Drought

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...

Dan Pehan with Monty's Plant Food explains how they can help alfalfa growers rebound from the challenging spring.

Thanks to snow and rain this spring, the drought picture has improved noticeably in Washington. According to the latest USDA numbers, only 17% of the state is under a D-1, or Moderate Drought designation, which is roughly half of the figure reported last week ...

It is the lowest US pasture and rangeland conditions in the 21st century. "This breaks the record that was set just last year.  And previously our lowest spring pattern rangeland conditions occurred in the wake of the great 2012 drought in the Spring of 2013." ...