The Willamette Valley and the Oregon coast appear to be less likely to face a drought this year than other areas in the Pacific Northwest.
During a presentation Monday, Arin Peters—the Western Region Hydrology Program Manager for the National Weather Service—said parts of Washington, including the Yakima area, are already under a drought emergency.
“Portions of southern Idaho and Oregon, of course, are remaining optimistic that maybe we won’t see any drought down there," he said. "But most of the area here we’re talking about in Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana … no big signals for drought relief in sight.”
Still, Peters said it’s likely that Oregon will become hotter and drier over the course of the summer. Precipitation is currently below 50% of normal in central and eastern Oregon, and predictions show the potential for drought and wildfire risk will grow to include the entire state by August and September.
