Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Valid May 18, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Spokane, WA
Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated late May 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
- Warmer then normal spring conditions has led to the early melt out of most mid level snowpack. 
- Washington State is in a statewide drought emergency.
- Idaho has declared a statewide drought emergency. 
- Severe drought conditions persist in southeastern Washington, the southern Idaho Panhandle, and have developed in the Okanagan Highlands. 

U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and extent in Spokane service area.
- D2 (Severe Drought): 22% Central/South Idaho Panhandle and NE Washington.
- D1 (Moderate Drought): 61% Central Panhandle mountains, Washington Palouse, Okanogan highlands, Upper Columbia Basin, Waterville Plateau, Okanogan valley, eastern Cascades and northern mountains.
- D0: (Abnormally Dry): 17% central Columbia Plateau Region
- No drought: 0%

Recent Change in Drought Intensity
- Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change: 
- Drought Worsened: Eastern Cascades, Okanogan Highlands and portions of the northern Bitterroots. 
- Drought Improvements: Improvements seen in Camas Prairie, north central Idaho.

Precipitation
- Last 30 days has been drier than normal for the majority of the region. 
- Last 30 days has been wetter than normal for the central Columbia River Plateau region.

Temperature
- Over the last week temperatures have ranged from 1 to over 8 degrees above normal
- In the last 30 days temperatures have been 1 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 the Columbia River main stem due to a robust snowpack in British Columbia.

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 is in a drought emergency for the entire state due to snowpack deficits.
- Idaho has declared has declared a drought emergency for the entire state due to snowpack deficits and elevated temperatures.

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.
- A warm spring has lead to significant losses of snowpack even at high elevations.

Long-Range Outlooks
- The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
- For May, precipitation is expected to be near normal to slightly below normal (33-40% chance)
- Temperatures are likely to be above normal (50-70% chance)

Drought Outlook
- Drought conditions in much of the region are expected to persist or intensify by the end of July.