Drought Information Statement for Eastern OR & South Central WA Valid August 8, 2025 Issued By: NWS Pendleton Contact Information: pdt.operations@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/pdt/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Extreme Drought developed in northwest Kittitas and northeast Wallowa counties, Severe Drought has developed in Western Yakima, Union, most of Kittitas, far western Klickitat, Wallowa, Columbia, Umatilla and Wheeler counties, southeast Morrow and northern Grant counties while Moderate Drought remains in eastern Yakima, western Klickitat, Wasco, much of Benton, Walla Walla, Morrow, Sherman, Gilliam and Jefferson, parts of Franklin, Deschutes, Crook and Grant counties. All other areas have Abnormally Dry conditions. Less than 50% of normal precipitation during the last 120 days, except for 50%-100% of normal precipitation in portions of the Lower Columbia Basin and the Blue Mountains. 70%-300% of normal precipitation in the eastern Oregon mountains during the last 30 days. Drought conditions are expected to persist or develop in all areas during August to October All areas forecast to have above normal significant fire potential August-September then near normal in October-November U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D3 (Extreme Drought): Northwest Kittitas and northeast Wallowa counties D2 (Severe Drought): Western Yakima, Union, most of Kittitas, far western Klickitat, Wallowa, Columbia, Umatilla and Wheeler counties, southeast Morrow, southeast Walla Walla and northern Grant counties D1 (Moderate Drought): Eastern Yakima, western Klickitat, Wasco, much of Benton, Walla Walla, Morrow, Sherman, Gilliam and Jefferson and parts of Franklin, Deschutes, Crook and Grant counties D0: (Abnormally Dry): All other areas not mentioned above U.S. Drought Monitor 4-week change map for the Pacific Northwest National Weather Service Pendleton, OR One-Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened (1 Class Degradation): None Drought Improved (1 Class Improvement): Small portions of northern Deschutes, southern Crook and southern and central Grant counties Four-Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened (2 Class Degradation): Western Klickitat, west central Yakima, small portions of northern Crook, eastern Jefferson, northwest Wheeler, northwest Umatilla and northern Columbia counties Drought Worsened (1 Class Degradation): Much of the rest of the areas in Oregon and Washington Drought Improved (1 Class Improvement): Far southern Grant county Image Captions: Right - 4 Week Drought Class Change Left - 1 Week Drought Class Change Data Courtesy U.S. Drought Monitor and Drought.gov Recent Change in Drought Intensity Near to above normal (70-300%) eastern Kittitas, the southern WA Cascades and Simcoe Highlands, central and north central OR, the eastern OR mountains and northern Blue Mountains of WA and parts of the OR Columbia Basin Below to much below normal precipitation (5% to 70% of normal) in the rest of the area Highest precipitation amounts were 3 to 4 inches in southern Grant county and 1 to 3 inches in Deschutes county, the Simcoe Highlands and the eastern mountains Generally less than 1 inch of precipitation elsewhere Less than 0.1 inch of precipitation in the WA and OR Columbia Basin and in small parts of eastern Jefferson and Wasco counties and in most of Wheeler county Image Captions: Right - Precipitation Amount for Pacific NW Left - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Pacific NW Data Courtesy Precipitation - Last 30 Days Image Captions: Right - Precipitation Amounts for Pacific NW Left - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Pacific NW Courtesy of Drought.gov Below to near normal precipitation (50% to 100% of normal) in the OR and WA Columbia Basin, portions of the southern Blue Mountain Foothills and Simcoe Highlands over the last 120-days Well below normal precipitation (0% to 50% of normal) in the rest of the area over the last 120-days Western areas had precipitation amounts of less than 1 inch and eastern areas had 1-6 inches over the last 120-days Wettest location was 3-6 inches in the Blue Mountains over the last 120-days Driest locations were less than 1 inch in most of Kittitas, Yakima, Wasco, Jefferson, Crook and Wheeler counties over the last 120-days Precipitation - 4-month (120-day) Precipitation Near to below normal temperatures (1 above to 3 degrees below normal) over the area for the last 7 days Well below normal (3 to 6 degrees below normal in southern Grant and southeast Crook and Deschutes counties for the last 7 days Mostly near to above normal temperatures (-1 to 3 degrees above normal) for the the last 30 days Below normal temperatures (1 to 3 degrees below normal) in southern and eastern Grant county Image Captions: Right - Temperature for Pacific NW Left - Percent of Normal Precipitation for Pacific NW Courtesy of Drought.gov Temperature - Last 7 and 30 Days Hydrologic Impacts Much below normal streamflows (< 10th percentile) for the Upper Yakima and Upper Columbia-Priest Rapids basins Below normal streamflows (10th-25th percentiles) for the Naches, Lower Yakima, Klickitat, Middle Columbia-Hood, Lower Snake-Tucannon and Lower Grande Ronde basins Above normal streamflows (76th-90th percentiles) for the Upper John Day and Umatilla basins Normal streamflow (25th-75th percentile) for all other basins Snowpack Impacts Snow telemetry (SNOTEL) monitoring sites show no snow remaining in the mountains. Aside from the widespread and worsening drought in much of the area, there are no known impacts at this time. Agricultural Impacts Agricultural interests in the Yakima area expect to receive 45%-50% of normal water allotments this summer. For other areas, impacts are unknown at this time Fire Hazard Impacts Above normal significant wildland fire potential is present over the entire area through September. Other Impacts Washington: Washington Drought Declaration issued for Upper Yakima, Lower Yakima and Naches Watersheds Oregon: Drought Declarations in effect for Morrow and Union Counties and has been requested for Wheeler County as of this Drought Information Statement Mitigation actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Summary of Impacts Image Captions: Right - USGS 7-day average streamflow station map valid August 7, 2025 Left - USGS 7-day average streamflow HUC map valid August 7, 2025 Data Courtesy USGS Water Watch Main Takeaways Much below normal streamflow (below the 10th percentile) for the Upper Yakima and Upper Columbia-Priest Rapids basins Below normal streamflows (10th-25th percentiles) for the Naches, Lower Yakima, Klickitat, Middle Columbia-Hood, Lower Snake-Tucannon and Lower Grande Ronde basins Near normal streamflows (25th-75th percentiles) for The Middle Columbia-Lake Wallula, Lower Snake, Walla Walla, Lower Snake-Asotin and Palouse basins Impacts No known impacts at this time Reduced streamflow may be detrimental to aquatic species and recreational activities. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts - Washington Image Captions: Right - USGS 7-day average streamflow station map valid August 7, 2025 Left - USGS 7-day average streamflow HUC map valid August 7, 2025 Data Courtesy USGS Water Watch Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts - Oregon Water Supply Forecast - April - September 2025 Main Takeaways Below normal streamflows (10th-25th percentile) for the Lower Grande Ronde and Middle Columbia-Hood basins Above normal streamflows (76th-90th percentiles) for the Upper John Day and Umatilla basins Near normal streamflows (25th-75th percentile) for all other basins except no data for the Silvies and Summer Lake basins Impacts No known impacts at this time Reduced streamflow may be detrimental to aquatic species and recreational activities. Main Takeaways Below to near normal water supply (65% to 95% of the 1991-2020 normal) is forecast over most south central and southeast WA for the April - September 2025 period Much below normal water supply (30% to 45% of the 1991-2020 normal) is forecast for the Upper Grande Ronde River and McKay Creek Below to near normal water supply (50% to 105% of the 1991-2020 normal) is forecast for most Oregon rivers and streams for the April - September 2025 period Well above normal water supply (145% to 170% of the 1991-2020 normal) is forecast for the Ochoco-John Day Highlands for the April - September 2025 period Impacts No known impacts at this time Low reservoir levels would be expected to affect agriculture production, fish, and other aquatic species. Image Caption: Ensemble Streamflow Prediction Natural Forecast Data Courtesy NOAA NWS Northwest River Forecast Center Issued August 8, 2025 Forecast (% of Normal) Main Takeaways Above normal significant wildland fire potential (i.e., a greater than normal risk) is forecast for all areas in August and September 2025 Normal significant wildland fire potential is forecast for all areas in October and November 2025 Image Caption: Left - September 2025 Right - October 2025 Data Courtesy National Interagency Coordination Center Issued August 1, 2025 Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. Fire Hazard Impacts - September through December Offshore ridging through the weekend will transition into a shallow trough early next week The entire area is expected to be dry except for isolated locations with up to a tenth of an inch in the mountains Temperatures will be above normal Sunday through Tuesday then drop to near normal after that. Winds will be generally breezy in the afternoon starting Tuesday Visit weather.gov/Pendleton for the latest weather forecast Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Main Takeaways A 40% to 60% chance of below normal temperatures across the entire area A 33% to 50% chance of above normal precipitation across the entire area Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook. Valid August 14-18, 2025 Climate Prediction Center 6 to 10 day Temperature Outlook and Precipitation Outlook. 6-10 Day Outlook Main Takeaways Equal chances of above, below and near normal temperatures across the entire area except for a 33% to 40% chance of below normal temperatures in the WA Cascades A 33% to 40% chance of below normal precipitation in southern portions of the area, a 33% to 40% chance of above normal precipitation in the central WA Cascades and equal chances of above, near and below normal precipitation in the rest of the area Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook. Valid August 16 - 22, 2025 Climate Prediction Center 8 to 14 day Temperature Outlook and Precipitation Outlook. 8-14 Day Outlook Monthly Climate Outlook Main Takeaways for August 2025 A 40% to 50% chance of above normal temperatures area-wide Equal chances of below, near and above normal precipitation area-wide Seasonal Climate Outlook Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid August-October 2025 Main Takeaways for August-October 2025 A 40% to 50% chance of above normal temperatures area-wide except for a 50% to 60% chance in southeastern Grant and Wallowa counties Equal chances of above, below and near normal precipitation area-wide Drought Outlook Main Takeaways Drought is expected to persist in most of the area Drought is expected to develop in the Simcoe Highlands, Columbia Basin and central Oregon August through October Possible Impacts Reduced streamflows and reservoir levels in the Upper Yakima basin has resulted in a reduction to 45%-50% of normal irrigation amounts which may result in a possible reduction of agricultural yield, crop loss, and poor pasture conditions where irrigation water is not available. Image Captions: Right - Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Released July 31, 2025 Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Released July 31, 2025 The latest drought outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage.