Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Valid August 21, 2025 Issued By: NWS Spokane, WA Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated 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. U.S. Drought Monitor National Weather Service Spokane, WA Image Caption: U.S. Drought Monitor valid August 19, 2025. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): Southern Idaho Panhandle ~0.5% D3 (Extreme Drought): Southern Idaho Panhandle, North WA Cascades ~12% D2 (Severe Drought): The northern Cascades through the northwest Oregon coast, north-central Washington and Washington Palouse ~36% D1 (Moderate Drought): The Olympic Washington coast, most of eastern Washington and far northern Idaho Panhandle ~32% D0: (Abnormally Dry): Southern Washington, Washington/Oregon Columbia Gorge ~ 16% NONE: ~4% Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change No Change: much of WA and north Idaho Moderate drought → Severe drought: Portions of southeast Washington and Spokane area Precipitation Last 30 days Precipitation over the last 30 days has been near or above normal for large portions of Washington and parts of the Idaho Panhandle, while the accumulations have been below half an inch in total for many low elevation areas. Last 90 days Precipitation over the last 90 days has been largely much below normal. Long term dryness remains across central WA, higher elevations of the Idaho Panhandle, and southeast WA. Temperature Last 7 and 30 days Temperatures the last week have been near to slightly above normal. Over the last 30 days, temperatures have been slightly below normal to near normal. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Water supply outlook remains below normal. (NWS NWRFC) Stream flows remain much below normal across the region as Summer thunderstorm precipitation has been isolated to scattered. (NWS NWRFC) Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture is moderately to severely dry and harvesting is earlier than normal across Washington. Crop conditions are very poor to fair (67%). USDA Crop Progress Reports Fire Hazard Impacts Fuel conditions remain below normal (dry) at this time. The significant wildland fire potential continues highlighting above normal risk for the Inland Northwest through September. (NIFC) Other Impacts Washington State Declared Drought Emergency for Chelan, Okanogan, and portions of Ferry County in June. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your local municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Streamflows over the past 7 days have been below normal across the Okanogan Valley and Highlands and north-central Washington. Areas across the Idaho Panhandle have seen much below normal streamflows. The Cascades region streamflows are much below normal as well. Agricultural Conditions and Impacts Soil moisture remains drier than normal across much of the Inland NW, especially over the Cascades, eastern Washington, and the Idaho Panhandle. Winter Wheat harvesting in Idaho is up 3% this week compared to this week last year, and in Washington is down 4% compared to this week last year. Spring Wheat harvesting in Idaho is up 23% and in Washington is up 4%, compared to this week last year. Pasture and Rangeland conditions in Washington were Very Poor to Poor (43%) and Very Poor to Fair (67%) in Idaho over the past 7 days. Fire Hazard Impacts Fuels remain dry at this time with some locations seeing near normal fuel moisture conditions for mid to late August. The significant wildland fire potential continues highlighting above normal risk for the Inland Northwest through September. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Little to no precipitation forecast for the Pacific NW for the next week. The 8-14 day outlook favors conditions- 50-60% of above normal temperatures. 40-60% of above normal precipitation. September Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Outlook favors warmer than normal temperatures. The precipitation outlook across the Inland NW favors equal chances for above or below normal precipitation for September. Seasonal Outlook September, October, November: Outlook favors warmer than normal temperatures. The precipitation outlook across much of the Inland NW favors equal chances for above or below normal precipitation for Sep-Oct-Nov. There is a 33-40% chance of above normal precipitation near the Cascades. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The Seasonal Drought Outlook shows where drought conditions will change over the next 3 months. Much of the drought across central and northeast Washington will improve or end. Drought in southeast Washington and much of the Idaho Panhandle will persist.