Experts have ‘serious drought concerns’ for WA this summer. Here’s why they’re worried
Much of Washington is entering spring dangerously close to drought conditions, and the low snowpack in the Cascades and throughout eastern Washington isn’t doing much to alleviate conditions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its monthly snow levels report on Thursday, April 6, declaring that parts of the Pacific Northwest are in a “snow drought.”
Here’s how NOAA measures monthly snow levels and what that might mean for Washington.
What is the snow level report?
The National Integrated Drought Information System, a partnership system between NOAA and state, national and tribal associations, records the “snow water equivalent” values across the United States.
Snow water equivalent is a measurement that determines how much water is in the snow. The amount of water in snow can vary depending on how cold the air is, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A warmer-weather snowstorm could produce two inches of water-heavy snow per inch of rain, while a cold-weather snowstorm could produce 50 inches of very dry, powdery snow per inch of rain.
The snow water measurement also works in tandem with the snowpack — measuring how much snow has fallen on the ground and remained there due to below-freezing temperatures.
The two statistics are paired to determine how much snow will melt into rivers and valleys once temperatures rise and are compared to historical values since 1991.
“Serious drought concerns remain in parts of the Pacific Northwest in part due to lack of snow,” the report reads. “While record-high (snow water equivalent) in California, Nevada, Utah, and western Colorado means spring and summer flooding potential.”
What else does the report say?
April 1 is the primary indicator for spring and summer water supply in the west, according to NOAA, because this is when the snowpack is at its highest before it starts melting into rivers and basins across the state.
The report says that “parts of the Pacific Northwest” — primarily Washington — have serious drought concerns, while other parts of the country may suffer from flooding.
On one end of the spectrum, parts of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range have over 300% of its usual snow water, while everywhere from Oregon and central Idaho south has above-normal snow water.
Meanwhile, aside from along the southern border of Washington, the whole state has average or below-average snow water equivalent. The Olympic Mountains region is suffering the most — the area west of Puget Sound is only at 77% of its average snow water, while the rest of the state is between the 90%-109% range.
“As much as California and Oregon totally needed the rain — I wouldn’t want to take anything from them — but with the storm track going in that direction, somebody’s going to have to be left out,” Steve Reedy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, told McClatchy News. “And unfortunately, that’s been us here in the northern tier.”
What does this mean for drought conditions?
Entering this summer, much of the Evergreen State is in the “abnormally dry” category on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Key areas inside the “abnormally dry” zone include south Puget Sound, including King and Pierce Counties, and along the Columbia River, including the Tri-Cities region.
A slow start to the year hasn’t helped matters, either. The Weather Service in Seattle has recorded just 8.4 inches of rain in 2023, the third-driest start to a year in the last 45 years.
Reed thinks the further north you get, the worse drought conditions are likely to be. Northeast Washington, including most of Pend Oreille County, is already experiencing moderate drought conditions.
“Right around Mount Baker (in the northern Cascades), right now they’re looking at about 85% of what they would typically see with snow water equivalent,” Reedy said. “Whereas as we get further south, they’re getting a little closer to normal.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Experts have ‘serious drought concerns’ for WA this summer. Here’s why they’re worried."
