This has been a record-breaking year of drought in much of Eastern Washington, state officials say.
In April, a huge volume of snow in the Cascade Range measured in at 132 percent of normal statewide, raising hopes of an abundant water year, the state Department of Ecology said in a blog post last week. But now 16 Washington counties, including 13 in Eastern Washington, are drier than they’ve ever been since record-keeping began in 1895, the blog said.
According to the National Weather Service, from March to August the state saw just 6.90 inches of precipitation. Normal during that time is 13.03 inches. To end the current drought in the lower Columbia River area, Ecology Drought Coordinator Jeff Marti said we’d need 11 inches of rain by next April. The odds of that kind of rebound are low. (AP)
