Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington & North Idaho Valid July 18, 2024 Issued By: NWS Spokane, WA Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated by August 15, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/otx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. DROUGHT CONTINUES ACROSS THE INLAND NW Severe drought remains in central WA and the central ID Panhandle Abnormally dry conditions expands across eastern WA U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D2 (Severe Drought): central Idaho Panhandle and lee of the Cascades, more than 18% D1 (Moderate Drought): central WA, extreme eastern WA, and much of the ID Panhandle, near 52% D0: (Abnormally Dry): Reminder of the Inland NW, near 30% NONE: 0% Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest 4 week change map for eastern Washington and north Idaho Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change No Change: parts of north-central WA, northeast WA, and much of north ID Drought Improved: none Drought degraded: much of eastern WA Precipitation Last 30 Days Last 30 Days were extremely dry across the Columbia Basin in eastern WA with little to no precipitation reported. Showers across the northern and Panhandle mountains brought near seasonal precipitation amounts. Precipitation Last 90 Days Last 90 Days shows the dry signal across central WA with less than 25% of normal of precipitation, meanwhile more seasonal precipitation was observed across northeast WA into the northern ID Panhandle. Temperature Last 7 Days and 30 Days Temperatures for the last week have been well above normal by over 8°F with daytime highs well into the 90s to around 100. In the last 30 Days, temperatures have been running slightly above normal by 1-4°F. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Stream flows over the past 7 days continue to be below normal across the Inland NW, and this trend has expanded in coverage since last month. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture continues to be drier than normal across the Inland NW, especially over the Cascades and the ID Panhandle. Crop moisture index was near normal for extreme eastern WA and north ID, yet dipped below normal across central WA. Below normal yields of dryland crops are expected across Adams, parts of Douglas and Lincoln counties. Weather was good for harvesting hay and grass seed, but other crops need rain. Irrigated crops are doing well. Winter wheat harvest staring to pick up. Fire Hazard Impacts Fuels are cured across much of central WA and continue to dry across extreme eastern WA and north ID. The Pioneer fire on Lake Chelan continues to grow, while other spotty fires have developed after dry lightning events and windy days. Mitigation Actions WA declared a Drought Emergency for much of the state on April 16th due to the low mountain snowpack and projected decrease in water supply. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Stream flows over the past 7 days continue to be below normal across the Inland NW, and this trend has expanded in coverage since last month. Being a dry period with above normal temperatures had helped to contribute. Agricultural Conditions and Impacts Soil moisture continues to be drier than normal across the Inland NW, especially over the Cascades and the ID Panhandle. Crop moisture index was near normal for extreme eastern WA and north ID, yet dipped below normal across central WA. Below normal yields of dryland crops are expected across Adams, parts of Douglas and Lincoln counties. Weather was good for harvesting hay and grass seed, but other crops needed rain. Irrigated crops are doing well. Winter wheat harvest staring to pick up. Fire Hazard Impacts Fuels are cured across much of central WA and continue to dry across extreme eastern WA and north ID. The Pioneer fire on Lake Chelan continues to grow, while other spotty fires have developed after dry lightning events and windy days. The significant wildland fire potential becomes above normal across the southern ID Panhandle by August. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Here is a forecast of precipitation for the Pacific NW for the upcoming week. Dry conditions continue The 8-14 day outlook favors near to 30% below normal temperatures and 30-40% for late July. Monthly Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage AUGUST is favoring above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation for the Inland NW. Long-Range Outlooks The latest seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage AUG-SEP-OCT outlook has equal chances to slightly above normal temperatures and equal chances of near, below to above normal precipitation across the Inland NW. Drought Outlook The Monthly and Seasonal Drought Outlook show drought is likely to persist and expand across the region.