Drought Information Statement for Eastern Washington & North Idaho Valid November 22, 2025 Issued By: NWS Spokane, WA Contact Information: w-otx.webmaster@noaa.gov This will be updated when 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. STATE OF WASHINGTON DROUGHT EMERGENCY FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON (see link) Drought persists but conditions are improving across the Inland Northwest Exceptional drought improved to extreme drought in the ID Panhandle Extreme drought improved to severe drought in the Cascades U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent for the Inland NW: D3 (Extreme Drought): Southern Idaho Panhandle, southeast Washington 13% D2 (Severe Drought): The Cascades, northeast Washington, Washington Palouse, and portions of north Idaho ~47% D1 (Moderate Drought): Portions of central and eastern Washington, and far northeast Idaho Panhandle ~40% Recent Change in Drought Intensity: Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change: No Change: Portions of northeast and southeast WA, portions of Idaho Panhandle Severe drought → Moderate drought: Removal across much of central Washington Extreme drought → Moderate drought: 2 class improvement near the Cascade crest thanks to heavy precipitation Exceptional drought → Severe drought: Removal across portions of the Idaho Panhandle Precipitation: Precipitation over the last 30 days has been near normal to above normal for most of the region, except far southeast Washington and the southern Idaho Panhandle. Some areas of the southern Panhandle are around 50% of normal (around 1 to 2 inches total the last 30 days). Temperature: Temperatures the last week have been much above normal region-wide. Over the last 30 days, temperatures have been above normal in much of the region. Temperatures have been near normal in north central Washington the past 30 days. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts: Streamflows over the past 7 days have been near normal for much of eastern WA and north Idaho. Streamflows in southeast Washington have been below normal as extreme drought persists. Streamflows in the Cascades have been above normal thanks to 5-15 inches of precipitation in the past month. Agricultural Conditions and Impacts: Soil moisture remains drier than normal across southeast Washington and southern Idaho Panhandle. 18% of winter wheat condition reported as poor or very poor as of Nov 16, 2025. 82% of winter wheat condition reported as fair, good, or excellent as of Nov 16, 2025. Summary of Impacts: Hydrologic Impacts Water supply outlook remains below normal, especially in southeast Washington and the southern Idaho Panhandle. (NWS NWRFC) Stream flows remain below normal across the region but conditions are improving (NWS NWRFC). 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. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast: Central Washington can expect 0.10 to 0.50 inches of precipitation, while eastern Washington and north Idaho are likely to see more widespread totals exceeding half an inch. The highest amounts will fall in the Cascades and the Idaho Panhandle, where 2 to 5 inches of precipitation is possible over the next week. 8-14 Day Outlook: The 8-14 day outlook (Nov 29th-Dec 5th) favors below normal temperatures (50-70% chance) and near normal precipitation. December Outlook: December: Near-normal temperatures across southern Washington and southern Idaho, while the northern two-thirds of Washington and the Idaho Panhandle have a 33-40% chance of below-normal temperatures. Precipitation is expected to be above normal for much of the region, with a 33-40% chance of wetter than average conditions in central Washington. Farther east, in far eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle, the odds increase to 40-50% for above-normal precipitation. Seasonal Outlook: November, December, January: Outlook favors near normal temperatures (no signal one way or another) for the Inland Northwest. The precipitation outlook across much of the Inland NW favors above normal chances (50-60%) for precipitation. Drought Outlook: The Seasonal Drought Outlook shows where drought conditions will change over the next 1 and 3 months. Much of the drought across the Inland Northwest will improve or end.