October 2026 Drought and Streamflow Update

Key Messages: 

Streamflows in mountain basins continue to run below normal. September rains boosted streamflows across western Washington to near normal at the start of October.

Seasonal precipitation deficits continue to limit monthly streamflows across the state, especially in mountain-fed rivers in the Cascades and Olympics.  

May 2026 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Key Messages: 

As of early June, the statewide snowpack has nearly melted out. Snowpack is 19% of median as of June 3rd, well below normal for this point in the season. 

April 2026 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Key Messages: 

As of early May, statewide snowpack is at 33% of median. Many basins in the central and southern Cascades currently have less than 20% of their median snowpack.

Warm and dry conditions have caused snow to melt more quickly than normal this spring. 

March 2026 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Key Messages: 

On April 8, the WA Department of Ecology issued a statewide Drought Emergency  due to very low snowpack and summer water supply concerns.
As of April 1, our statewide snowpack is well below normal at just 53% of median. 

February 2026 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Key Messages: 

As of March 3, our statewide snowpack is well below normal at just 53% of the median. Many individual stations are below 10th percentile snowpack for this point in the season.  

January 2026 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Key Messages: 

As of February 2, statewide snowpack is well below normal near 55% of median. 

Water year precipitation remains above normal in most of the Cascades, but warm storms throughout the season and January’s dry spell both contributed to the current snowpack deficits.  

December 2025 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Key Messages: 

Precipitation for the current water year is well-above normal, but not enough to overcome multi-year deficits.   

Snowpack remains below normal in the central and southern Cascades, Olympics, Blue Mountains, and the northeastern WA Rockies.  

November 2025 Drought and Snowpack Update

Key Messages: 

Snowpack is currently below normal in all major basins across the state 

Storms were warm, bringing mostly rain instead of snow. Drier than normal conditions occurred across the Olympics and portions of the southwestern Cascades which limited snowpack growth. 

May 2025 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Considerable snowmelt continued through May as warm and dry conditions continued in the mountains. The difference in snowpack coverage can be seen clearly by comparing maps of May 1 and June 1 SWE, courtesy of the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC). 

April 2025 Snowpack and Drought Summary

Spring melt began in earnest this month. Snowpack has fallen further behind our typical 1991-2020 totals as of May 1, 2025, largely as a result of dry conditions, warmer than normal temperatures, and earlier than usual melt.