Year-long drought alert lifted in Eastern WA. But Tri-Cities isn’t in the clear

The drought declaration for Eastern Washington has been lifted by the Washington state Department of Ecology after the second wettest May through June for the state since 1895.

However, the U.S. Drought Monitor still shows Benton County from about the Tri-Cities and all of Franklin County rated as “abnormally dry.”

That’s an improvement from the rating of “exceptional drought” in July 2021, which has gradually improved through three less severe levels of drought to the current rating.

The drought declaration that was lifted on Tuesday was issued last July.

In 2021, the average precipitation from March through June tied 1926 as the second driest such period for the state since 1895.

Then an unprecedented late-June heatwave smashed temperature records across the state. The Hanford site set a new record for the hottest temperature recorded in Washington state, 120 degrees on June 29, 2021.

Farmers and ranchers without irrigation in Eastern Washington were among the first to feel the effects of the drought then, with some reporting up to a 50% loss of wheat crops and difficulty finding feed for livestock.

Rising water temperatures in the lower Yakima, Okanagan and Snake rivers reached levels lethal to some fish, including threatened salmon species.

Tri-Cities irrigation forecast

The Tri-Cities had two consecutive water years — which start in October — in the top 20 driest on record, with the last water year ranked 9th.

In addition, summer 2021 was the warmest on record with summer 2020 ranked 21st for heat.

“Conditions have improved,” said Jeff Marti, Ecology’s statewide drought coordinator. “All areas of the state, including the five watersheds specified in the drought declaration, have received significantly above-normal precipitation.”

Under Washington state law a drought can be declared when the water supply in an area is below 75% of normal and there is an expectation of undue hardship.

In May of this year, wetter temperatures brought relief to much of the state, with some areas receiving double the usual amount of rain in June.

The Tri-Cities is having its 26th wettest water year to date on record, with 8.8 inches of precipitation recorded, according to the National Weather Service. That’s about an inch and a half above normal.

The Bureau of Reclamation said earlier this month that the water supply for the Yakima River Basin is forecast to fully satisfy all senior and junior holders of water rights this irrigation system.

Among districts getting water from the Yakima River is the Kennewick Irrigation District.

June completed three months of significantly above average precipitation in the Yakima Basin with 144% of June’s normal amount.

The precipitation total for April, May, and June was 167% of average and was fourth highest on record—boosting the water year precipitation to 117% of average, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

“Conditions have been anything but drought-like,” Marti said. “We’ve experienced one of the wettest, coldest springs in recent memory. While the ‘Juneuary’ put a damper on gardening and outdoor activities, it provided a dramatic recovery for water supplies.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Year-long drought alert lifted in Eastern WA. But Tri-Cities isn’t in the clear."