SPOKANE, Wash. — After historically dry conditions across Washington during the Spring and Summer of 2021, the state is having a hard time recovering from that this winter. Drought conditions still remain across half of the state.
The latest Drought Monitor map has 52% of Washington still under drought conditions with 26% of the state classified as a severe drought. This is much improved from the summer months, but not fully. And while the Winter-Spring is the wetter seasons for the Pacific Northwest, the drought is unlikely to fully recover before the summer of 2022.
The Climate Prediction Center's outlook for February doesn't offer any improvement. While precipitation may be near normal, it's likely not enough to lift Spokane out of the moderate drought. And the typically drier areas of southern Washington and the Columbia Basin have even less of a chance.
The seasonal outlook, February through April, is more promising. The snowmelt and water content held within is the best chance for the Spokane area and northern Washington to get out of drought conditions which were first onset in Spokane on April 20, 2021. However, southern Washington probably doesn't see full drought removal. The drought in this area has been active since January 2020.
Back in early September 2021, Washington hit the peak of the drought with exceptional drought conditions having been reported in the state for the first time in history.
Mountain snowfall, a large factor is how the Spring conditions will play out, is currently near average for early February. It's been back and forth between nearly no snow in November, lots of snow in December, and below average in January. February is trending slightly drier than average, but one or two big snow storms could change that easily.
