Drought Information Statement for Pacific Northwest Valid August 7, 2026 Issued By: National Weather Service Seattle, WA Contact Information: nws.seattle@noaa.gov This product will be updated around September 4, 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/sew/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. Little change since last month other than continued drying State-Wide Emergency Drought declaration by Washington Department of Ecology Continues Much below normal water supply, streamflows, with higher water demand expected: Outlook is for below normal precipitation Outlook is for above normal temperatures Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): None D2 (Severe Drought): None D1 (Moderate Drought): Parts of north Cascades, Northern Olympic Peninsula D0: (Abnormally Dry): The Cascade crest and portions of the Olympic Peninsula Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Puget sound lowlands and and northern Olympic Peninsula No Change: Cascade crest, southern WA Cascades, and Olympic Mountains Precipitation Much of western WA was below normal precipitation for the last 30 days Temperature Temperatures from the I-5 corridor eastward were mostly above normal over the last 30 days Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Lower than normal water supply this summer; major municipalities have adequate supply Lower than normal streamflows at this time Higher than normal water demand Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture is low as seen in Crop Moisture Index; there are no other known or reported impacts at this time Fire Hazard Impacts Western WA predicted to have above normal significant wildland fire potential July through September Wildfires are ongoing Other Impacts Burn bans are in effect for all areas. Check with DNR and local fire departments for details Mitigation Actions WA State Department of Ecology declared a Drought Emergency for the entire state Fourth year in a row for at least a portion of the state in drought emergency Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Forecast April - September Water Supply volumes are for much less than normal Water Supply for almost all locations ranked less than 10th lowest, with many first or second lowest Streamflows for most areas are much below normal Agricultural Impacts Current Conditions Portions of western Washington show dry Crop Moisture Index Fire Hazard Impacts Above normal significant wildland fire potential for western WA through September Burn bans in effect across western Washington Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Outlook - Precipitation leaning to drier than normal for July Outlook - Temperatures leaning warmer than normal for July Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Seasonal Drought Outlook showing drought is predicted to continue to develop across the rest of western Washington later this summer into early fall