Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington & North Idaho
Valid March 30, 2026
Issued By: NWS Spokane, WA 
Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov
This will be updated late April 2026 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly.   
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/otx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.


Drought conditions persist across the Inland Northwest:
- Mild conditions and a lack of mid-level snowpack accumulation are large contributors.
- Severe drought conditions continue to be observed in southeastern Washington and the southern Idaho Panhandle.

U.S. Drought Monitor:
Drought intensity and Extent:
D2 (Severe Drought): 15% Central/South Idaho Panhandle and SE Washington.
D1 (Moderate Drought): 49% Central Panhandle mountains, Washington Palouse, Okanogan highlands, Upper Columbia Basin, Waterville Plateau, Okanogan valley, and northern mountains.
D0: (Abnormally Dry): 32% most of the inland northwest not in another category.
No drought: 4% near the Cascade crest.

Recent Change in Drought Intensity:
Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change: 
- Drought Worsened: Okanogan Valley, Waterville Plateau, Upper Columbia Basin, Kootenai County
- No Change: No change in the rest of the Spokane Forecast Area.

Precipitation:
- Last 30 days has been drier than normal in central WA especially near the Canadian border, northeast WA, and the northern Panhandle mountains. 

Temperature: 
- Over the last week temperatures have been 3 to 8 degrees warmer than normal.
- In the last 30 days temperatures have been near normal to 8 degrees warmer than normal.

Summary of Impacts:
Hydrologic Impacts 
Water supply outlook remains below normal eastern third of Washington and north Idaho (NWS NWRFC).
Water supply outlook is more optimistic for central Washington.
Agricultural Impacts
There are no known impacts at this time.
Other Impacts
With one month left of the typical accumulation season, the snow deficit could play a major role in deteriorating water supply conditions over the summer if trends continue.  
Mitigation Actions
Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information.

Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts:
- Snow Water Equivalent is below normal across the region.
- Elevations above 5000 feet are closer to normal compared to lower elevations (especially the north Cascades).

Long-Range Outlooks:
- For April, precipitation is expected to be near normal to slightly below normal (33-40% chance)
- Temperatures are expected to be near normal to slightly above normal (33-40% chance)

Drought Outlook:
Drought conditions are expected to persist for portions of central Washington, southeast Washington, central and southern ID Panhandle through the end of June.