Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Valid April 9, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Spokane, WA
Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product 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
- Snowpack deficits are a significant contributor to the current drought conditions.
- Washington State has declared a drought emergency for the entire state due to snowpack deficits. 
- 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): 57% Central Panhandle mountains, Washington Palouse, Okanogan highlands, Upper Columbia Basin, Waterville Plateau, Okanogan valley, and northern mountains.
D0: (Abnormally Dry): 24% most of the inland northwest not in another category.
No drought: 4% near the Cascade crest.

Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Link to the latest 4-week change map for Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change: 
- Drought Worsened: Northern Idaho Panhandle
- Drought Improvements: Improvements seen near the crest of the Central Cascades. 


Precipitation
- Last 30 days has been drier than normal in north central WA near the Canadian border, and some areas in central WA. 
- Last 30 days has been wetter then normal for the Palouse, and most of the Idaho Panhandle.

Temperature
- Over the last week temperatures have ranged from 6 degrees below normal to 6 degrees above 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
- The snow deficit will likely lead to deteriorating water supply conditions over the summer.
- Washington State has declared a drought emergency for the entire state due to snowpack deficits.

Mitigation Actions
- Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information.


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

Long-Range Outlooks
- The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
- For April, precipitation is expected to be near normal to slightly below normal (33-40% chance)
- Temperatures are expected to be slightly above normal (33-50% 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.