Drought Information Statement for Eastern OR & South Central WA Valid January 14, 2024 Issued By: NWS Pendleton Contact Information: pdt.operations@noaa.gov This product will be updated if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/pdt/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Moderate Drought continues to affect portions of northwest Kittitas and northern Wallowa counties while abnormally dry conditions continue in across parts of south central WA, central/north central OR, far northeast OR, and far southeast WA Well above normal precipitation (in excess of 200% of normal across the Basin and Blue mountains) Well above normal snow water equivalent reported in mountain snowpack across the eastern mountains, near to above normal elsewhere Precipitation is forecast to end drought conditions area-wide during the upcoming winter months 1 Drought intensity and Extent D2 (Severe Drought): None D1 (Moderate Drought): Northwest Kittitas county and northern Wallowa County D0: (Abnormally Dry): Central Kittitas and northwest Yakima counties, central and north central OR, WA Blue Mountains, northern Union and central Wallowa counties All other areas have improved enough to be removed from Abnormally Dry or Moderate Drought conditions U.S. Drought Monitor National Weather Service Pendleton, OR One-Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened (1 Class Degradation): Extreme western Kittitas county Drought Improved (1 Class Improvement): Most of Kittitas county, central and north central OR, the eastern Columbia Basin of WA and OR south through the Blue Mountains, and the Grande Ronde Valley Four-Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened (1 Class Degradation): Extreme western Kittitas county Drought Improved (1 Class Improvement): Most of OR, Kittitas County, and eastern portions of WA Drought Improved (2 Class Improvement): West central Union county Image Captions: Right - 4 Week Drought Class Change Left - 1 Week Drought Class Change Data Courtesy U.S. Drought Monitor and Drought.gov Recent Change in Drought Intensity Mostly well above normal precipitation (150% to 300% of normal), except 100%-150% of normal in eastern Wallowa county Near to below normal precipitation (90-100%) along the central WA Cascades crest Highest precipitation amounts were over 8 inches over the Cascades with 4 to over 8 inches in the eastern mountains of OR and WA Generally 2 to 4 inches in the lower elevations Image Captions: Right - Precipitation Amount for Pacific NW Left - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Pacific NW Data Courtesy High Plains Regional Climate Center Precipitation - Last 30 Days Image Captions: Right - Precipitation Amounts for Pacific NW Left - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Pacific NW Courtesy of Drought.gov Above normal precipitation (in excess of 150%) in the OR and WA Columbia Basin, the southern Blue Mountains and the Ochoco-John Day Highlands over the last 120-days Pockets of near to below normal precipitation (75-100% of normal) in portions of the Blue Mountain Foothills, the northern Blue Mountains and Wallowa County over the last 120-days Near to above normal precipitation (50-100%) elsewhere Precipitation - 4-month (120-day) Precipitation Mainly near to above normal temperatures (-1 to 3 degrees) all areas, except 3-6 degrees above normal OR Cascades and 1 to 3 degrees below normal Wallowa mountains for the last 7 days Above normal temperatures (1 to 6 degrees) the last 30 days Greatest departures (4 to 6 degrees above normal) over the last 30 days were seen across the WA and OR Columbia Basin, central OR, the Grande Ronde Valley and Wallowa county during the last seven days Image Captions: Right - Temperature for Pacific NW Left - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Pacific NW Courtesy of Drought.gov Temperature - Last 7 and 30 Days Hydrologic Impacts Most basins report near to well above normal streamflow (76th-100th percentile) Near normal streamflow (26th-75th percentile) across the Willow, Upper Deschutes, Upper and Lower Yakima, Upper Columbia-Priest Rapids, Palouse and Clearwater Basins Snowpack Impacts Most snow telemetry (SNOTEL) monitoring sites show a near to well above normal snowpack (90-250% of normal). There are no known impacts at this time. Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Fire Hazard Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Other Impacts Washington: Washington Drought Emergency declared for all counties east of the Cascades Oregon: No Drought Declaration for Year 2025 as of this Drought Information Statement Mitigation actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Summary of Impacts Image Captions: Right - USGS 7-day average streamflow station map valid January 1, 2025 Left - USGS 7-day average streamflow HUC map valid January 1, 2025 Data Courtesy USGS Water Watch Main Takeaways The Klickitat, Middle Columbia-Hood, Middle Columbia-Lake Wallula, Walla Walla, Lower Snake, Lower Snake-Tucannon, Lower Snake-Asotin and Lower Grande Ronde basins have above normal streamflow (76th-90th percentile) Other river, stream, and creek flows are near normal (25th-75th percentile) Impacts No known impacts at this time Reduced streamflow may be detrimental to aquatic species and recreational activities. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts - Washington Image Captions: Right - USGS 7-day average streamflow station map valid January 1, 2025 Left - USGS 7-day average streamflow HUC map valid January 1, 2025 Data Courtesy USGS Water Watch Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts - Oregon Main Takeaways Much above normal streamflows (91st-100th percentile) for the Lower John Day, Upper John Day, Silvies, North Fork John Day, Umatilla basin Near normal streamflows (25th-75th percentile) for the Willow and Upper Deschutes basins Above normal streamflows (76th-90th percentile) for all other basins Impacts No known impacts at this time Reduced streamflow may be detrimental to aquatic species and recreational activities. Main Takeaways Mountain snowpack snow water equivalent reports are well above normal (165%-250% percent) across the OR eastern mountains Above normal snowpack values (110%-145%) are seen elsewhere across Washington and Wallowa county basins Impacts No known impacts at this time Snow water equivalent is related to the amount of water stored in snowpack. Snow can affect the amount of available water for spring and summer snow melt. This can have impacts on water storage, irrigation, fisheries, vegetation, municipal water supplies, and wildfire. Image Captions: Oregon and Washington SNOTEL Current Snow Water Equivalent % of Normal Data Courtesy USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Daily Value as of January 9, 2025 Snowpack Conditions and Impacts Main Takeaways Near to above normal water supply (85-125% of the 1991-2020 normal) is forecast across most of the area for the April-September 2025 period Well above normal water supply (120-175% of the 1991-2020 normal) is forecast across the southern Blue mountains and the Ochoco-John Day Highlands Impacts No known impacts at this time Low reservoir levels would be expected to affect agriculture production, fish, and other aquatic species. Image Caption: Ensemble Streamflow Prediction Natural Forecast Data Courtesy NOAA NWS Northwest River Forecast Center Issued January 10, 2025 Forecast (% of Normal) Water Supply Forecast - April - September 2025 Forecast (% of normal) Main Takeaways Normal significant wildland fire potential (i.e., very low risk) for all areas January 2025 through April 2025 Significant wildland fires are expected at typical times (e.g., warm season) and intervals during normal significant wildland fire potential conditions Image Caption: Left - January 2025 Right - February 2025 Data Courtesy National Interagency Coordination Center Issued January 2, 2024 Fire Hazard Impacts - September through December A ridge of high pressure will be the main influence on area weather for the next week and this will give us colder and mainly dry weather. Another system brushing the area Thursday afternoon through Friday will bring very precipitation (just a few hundredths of an inch) to the WA Cascade crest and the northern Blue Mountains of WA The rest of the area is forecast to remain dry for the next 7 days Visit weather.gov/Pendleton for the latest weather forecast Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Main Takeaways Leaning towards below normal temperatures in all areas (40-70%) Leaning towards below normal precipitation in all areas (50-60%) Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook. Valid January 19-23, 2025 6-10 Day Outlook Main Takeaways Leaning towards below normal temperatures area-wide (33-50%) Leaning towards below normal precipitation area-wide (33-50%) Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook. Valid January 21-27, 2025 8-14 Day Outlook Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Updated December 31, 2024 Main Takeaways for January Odds favor normal temperatures (40-60%) area-wide Odds favor above normal precipitation (33-50%) area-wide Monthly Climate Outlook Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid January-March 2025 Main Takeaways for January-February-March Odds leaning towards below normal temperatures (33-50%) for all areas Odds leaning towards above normal precipitation (40-50%) for all areas Seasonal Climate Outlook Main Takeaways Drought is expected to end and all areas will no longer be under a drought by the end of January and will remain that way through the end of March Possible Impacts Reduced streamflows and reservoir levels may persist a while longer and this could result in possible reduction in agricultural yield, crop loss, and poor pasture conditions where irrigation water is not available. Image Captions: Right - Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Released December 31, 2024 Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Released December 31, 2024 The latest drought outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage. Drought Outlook