The Latest On Western Washington's Serious Drought
DIABLO, WA — If you take a look at U.S. Department of Agriculture drought map of Washington released on Thursday, things look a little backward.
A huge piece of Southeast Washington's high desert from Walla Walla northwest to Ellensburg is whited-out on the map, indicating low drought conditions. But look west to the usually damp forests of Western Washington, things are considerably drier.
According to the federal government, all of Western Washington from Vancouver to Bellingham is in the midst of a "moderate drought." About 4.6 million people in Washington are experiencing some kind of drought right now.
On May 20, Gov. Jay Inslee expanded the state's drought emergency to include almost the entire Olympic Peninsula and the North Cascades. King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties were not included in that expansion, but some areas that provide water and electric power for the Seattle area were.
The drought conditions are largely due to low snowpack, according to the state Department of Ecology. As of April 1, snowpack was at 52 percent of normal on average statewide due to warmer temperatures. With such low snowpack, that means less water melting into rivers.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/the-latest-on-western-washingtons-serious-drought/ar-AACfrIr
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