News | Washington State Climate Office

Oct 6, 2026 | Climate Matters, Drought and Soil Conditions, Guest Author, October 2026 Newsletter, Temperature

Climate Matters: AgWeatherNet for Climate Resilient Washington Agriculture

Washington’s climate is not uniform, and it is becoming increasingly extreme, particularly during agricultural crop production seasons. Declining mountain snowpack, spring frost, extreme summer heat, and wildfires are becoming the norm.

Aug 10, 2026 | Air Quality and Wildfire, August 2026 Newsletter, Climate Matters, Guest Author

Climate Matters: A Wildfire Note From WA DNR

Last fall, I stood on a hillside east of White Salmon overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.
Below me was the burn scar from the Burdoin Fire, an 11,000-acre wildfire that had swept through the Gorge just months earlier, destroying 45 structures and threatening hundreds more.

A photograph of an unburned forest on the left and a burned forest on the right with a roadway cleanly dividing the two.

Jul 8, 2026 | Air Quality and Wildfire, Climate Matters, Guest Author, July 2026 Newsletter

Climate Matters: What to expect from this year’s wildfire season in the Northwest

Introduction
Wildfire becomes a part of life across much of the western US this time of year, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. The smell of smoke from fires burning hundreds of miles away or the news alerts of fires threatening nearby communities can dominate our daily routines.

Jun 5, 2026 | Climate Matters, Guest Author, June 2026 Newsletter

Climate Matters: How much water is in Washington’s snowpack?

Snowpack is an important source of water for Washington. Reservoirs also help store water from snowmelt, releasing it as needed throughout the dry season. This year’s drought has renewed conversations about the amount of water in our snowpack and reservoirs, and just how much we can rely on each for meeting water demand in the future.