Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington and North Idaho
	Valid August 6th, 2026
	Issued By: National Weather Service Spokane, WA
	Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov

This product will be updated early September 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 and a warm and dry July has led to increased drought severity in the region. 
	Washington is in a statewide drought emergency.
	Idaho is in a statewide drought emergency. 
	Impacts on agriculture production are being reported. 
	Drought conditions are contributing to enhanced wildfire potential.


Drought intensity and extent in Spokane service area.
	D3 (Extreme Drought): 2% - Small area in the southern Okanagan Highland.
	D2 (Severe Drought): 40% - Idaho Panhandle, NE Washington, Palouse, parts of the Okanogan highlands.
	D1 (Moderate Drought): 57% - Upper Columbia Basin and Eastern Cascades and northern mountains.
	D0: (Abnormally Dry): 1% Small region of Washington's Central Cascade crest.
	No drought: 0%


Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change: 
	Drought Worsened: Along the Cascade Crest, Palouse, northern Idaho Panhandle Regions and NE Washington. 
	Drought Improvements: no areas of improvement within service area. 


Precipitation
	Last 30 days has been drier than normal for the most of the region. 
	Last 30 days has been wetter than normal for small isolated areas that have seen convective precipitation.

Temperature
	Over the last week temperatures have ranged from 1 to over 8 degrees above normal.
 	In the last 30 days temperatures have ranged between 3 degrees below normal to 8 degrees above normal.

Summary of Impacts
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
	Water supply outlook remains below normal for most of eastern Washington and north Idaho (NWS NWRFC).
	Water supply outlook is more optimistic for the Columbia River main stem due to last winter's robust snowpack in British Columbia.
Agricultural Impacts
	Degradation in crop condition. 
	Reduction in yields due to wildfire impacts and crop stress. 
	Harvesting earlier then normal.
Other Impacts
	Drought conditions have contributed to 631,152 acres burned across WA as of August 3rd.
	Washington has declared a drought emergency for the entire state due to snowpack deficits.
	Idaho 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
	A warm winter lead to below normal snowpack and mid and low elevations
	Regional snowpack peaked early and melted out early due to above normal temperatures. 

Long-Range Outlooks
	The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
	For August, precipitation has an equal chance of being above or below normal. 
	Temperatures are more likely to be above normal (33-40% chance)

Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Drought conditions in the region are expected to persist or intensify by the end of October.
Links to the latest:
	Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
	Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook