SPOKANE, Wash. — When it comes to wildfire season in Washington, we are naturally affected by the normally dry summers. Between July, August, and September Spokane averages less than one-and-a-half inches of rainfall. And for areas in central Washington, like Wenatchee, it's even less. Only 64-hundredths of an inch for the 3-month span for Wenatchee for example.
And as of this year, those numbers that we consider our "averages" have changed as a result of Climate Change.
Every 10 years, the National Weather Service updates the daily, monthly, seasonal, and yearly average climate data in what's called a "30-year average." And the change from the 1981 to 2010 data to the 1991 to 2020 data is noticeable, especially for our summers.
In Spokane, temperature averages have increased by half a degree Fahrenheit for the year with the summer seeing the largest change and temperature increase. But more noticeably were the changes in precipitation data. Winter and springs are now wetter, but summers and falls are drier, creating an even larger contrast between our wet and dry seasons.
And this trend is the same for central Washington, eastern Washington, and North Idaho locations, all which see less rain during the summer on average than what we used to.
And this year so far, Washington has already seen one of the driest springs on record. Drought conditions this May are the worst they've been in 16 years. Already, 53% of Washington is reporting moderate drought conditions or worse as of mid-May.
Our changing climate, resulting in hotter and drier summers on the norm, will make for an increased likelihood of more wildfires more frequently, creating a larger scale issue for the years to come.
