The National Weather Service in Spokane issued the following drought information statement this morning for eastern Washington and North Idaho. 

Synopsis:

Current and forecast streamflow and water supply outlooks for the Inland Northwest for 2015 are far below average. The U.S. Drought Monitor June 23rd edition depicts conditions for eastern Washington and northern Idaho that range from abnormally dry (D0) in the Columbia Basin to severe drought (D2) in northeastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. Moderate drought (D1) is depicted for the east slopes of the Cascades across to southeastern Washington. With our snowpack gone, our springtime rainy season behind us and summer temperatures ahead of us, the drought conditions are expected to persist and/or intensify in the coming months. Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency for Washington on May 15, 2015. At this time there are no drought emergency declarations for any counties in northern Idaho.  Please note that neither NOAA nor the NWS declare droughts. This drought statement provides a summary of pertinent information to enhance public awareness of drought or abnormally dry conditions.  Snowpack: Although the winter of 2014/2015 brought average to above-average precipitation to the Inland Northwest, every month except November saw above average temperatures. The result was that much of the winter precipitation arrived as rainfall instead of snow and some of the big winter precipitation events (atmospheric rivers) arrived with warm temperatures that also contributed to early snowmelt. By the end of March the NRCS was reporting record low snowpack at many of its observation points across the Pacific Northwest and many sites also reported their earliest loss of snowpack on record. Most sites in the Inland Northwest lost their snowpack 4 to 8 weeks earlier than in an average year, even in the higher elevations of the North Cascades and Rocky Mountains.  Precipitation and Temperature: Even though the winter months of October-March brought average to above-average precipitation to the area, we shifted to a drier pattern in April. The warm trend we were in through the winter continued into the spring and temperatures were well above average in March, May, and into June. The lack of spring precipitation combined with above average temperatures has put additional hydrologic stress on the region due to increased and early evaporation. The Spokane National Weather Service office collects daily pan evaporation values: the April-June 24th period for 2015 has seen the most evaporation in 35 years, since measurements began at the airport in 1980. Areas in the Columbia Basin and Palouse that are not dependent on snowmelt-fed streams, and that received adequate winter precipitation, are beginning to see stress from this spring`s weather.   SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...  Streamflow: The hydrologic effect of the early loss of the snowpack combined with lack of spring precipitation can be seen in the remarkably low flows in the region`s streams and rivers, many of which are already at levels we would typically see in August. While flows are already very low for this time of year, streamflows can be expected to steadily decline throughout the summer. We generally see our lowest flows of the year in late September or early October.  Low streamflows can impact fish as water temperatures warm up and streams become too shallow. Junior water rights holders in Washington State may be affected in watersheds where streams and rivers drop below their minimum instream flows. Wells that pull from groundwater that is recharged from snowmelt-fed streams are likely to see the biggest impacts; that are early indications that wells in some areas are already beginning to experience problems. Some lakes that have dams that maintain a summer recreational level may see early drawdowns in order to supply minimum downstream flows.  Several USGS stream gages are reporting record low late-June flows and many more are reporting flows that are in the lowest 10th percentile in their record for late June. The following is a list of gages in our area that are reporting record low 7-day average flows for this time in June. Some gages may have gaps in their historical records that include record low flow periods. Data courtesy of USGS WaterWatch service.  USGS streamgages with record low 7-day average flows for June 23rd    USGS Stream Gage                                 Years of Record   ----------------------------------------         ---------------   Similkameen River near Nighthawk, WA                   86   Andrews Creek near Mazama, WA                          47   Chiwawa River near Plain, WA                           41   Wenatchee River at Peshastin, WA                       86   wenatchee River at Monitor, WA                         52   Spokane River at Spokane (regulated), WA              124   Priest River near Priest River (regulated), ID         65   Boundary Creek near Porthill, ID                       87   NF Coeur d`Alene River near Prichard, ID               64   Coeur d`Alene River near Cataldo, ID                   82   St Joe River at Calder, ID                             96   St Maries River at Santa, ID                           49  Water Supply Outlook: Long range hydrologic models are forecasting far below normal river flows and water supply for all unregulated rivers and lakes in the Inland Northwest through the summer. Some rivers with large dams on them may see periods of above average flow this summer as water is moved through the Columbia River system for power, irrigation, or ecological needs. Water supply forecasts for the April-September period range from a low of 31 percent for the North Fork of the Coeur d`Alene River to 78 percent for the Methow River at Pateros. Note that this forecast period (Apr-Sep) includes streamflow for April and May which saw average flows in basins that received high elevation snowmelt, like the Methow, Okanogan, Columbia, Kootenai, and Pend Oreille Rivers.  Several of the river forecast locations have forecasts ranking at or near record lows in their historical forecast record, which generally includes 1971-present. Water supply forecast locations that have a dam upstream that can impact water supply or timing of seasonal runoff are denoted with an asterisk*. Here are the streamflow volume forecasts for specific rivers and sites as of June 24.         Inland Northwest Water Supply Forecasts from June 24th                    50% Probability Forecast                   (in thousands of acre feet)  River and Gaging Site            Period   Forecast  Normal  Percent --------------------------------------------------------------------  ...Columbia River... Grand Coulee WA*                  Apr-Sep   44552    60110    74 The Dalles Dam*                   Apr-Sep   62206    92704    67   ...Kootenai River... Bonners Ferry ID*                 Apr-Sep    5740     8256    70 Moyie River at Eastport ID        Apr-Sep     209      387    54  ...Priest / Kettle Rivers... Priest River ID*                  Apr-Sep     380      831    46 Kettle nr Laurier WA              Apr-Sep    1272     1875    68  ...Pend Oreille River... Pend Oreille at Albeni Falls*     Apr-Sep    8128    12815    63  ...Coeur d`Alene / Spokane / St Joe Rivers... Nf Coeur d`Alene at Enaville ID   Apr-Sep     229      739    31 Coeur d`Alene Lake Inflow ID      Apr-Sep     897     2468    36 Spokane at Spokane WA*            Apr-Sep    1027     2530    41 St Joe at Calder ID               Apr-Sep     454     1120    41  ...Okanagan / Similkameen / Methow Rivers... Okanogan nr Tonasket WA*          Apr-Sep    1170     1583    74 Similkameen nr Nighthawk WA       Apr-Sep     842     1283    66 Methow nr Pateros WA              Apr-Sep     700      895    78  ...Wenatchee / Chelan Rivers... Lake Chelan Inflow                Apr-Sep     660     1116    59 Wenatchee nr Peshastin WA         Apr-Sep     703     1489    47  ...Snake River... Snake at Hells Canyon ID*         Apr-Sep    3399     7148    48  ...Grande Ronde / Clearwater Rivers... Grande Ronde nr Troy OR           Apr-Sep     604     1310    46 Clearwater nr Spalding ID*        Apr-Sep    4006     7278    55  Wildfire: Due to the early loss of snowpack, above average spring temperatures, and below average spring precipitation, wildfire season in the Inland Northwest is weeks ahead of schedule. Fuels are at critical levels and conditions are what we would see in August in a typical year. Additionally, higher elevations that usually hang on to snowpack into July and have a short window for wildfire potential have been snow-free for weeks and are rapidly drying out. While fire-starts (whether natural or human caused) are always the key ingredient for wildfires, we have a much longer window this year with conditions ripe for any starts to create problems.  A burn ban for DNR-protected lands east of the Cascade crest in Washington State was enacted on June 18th, with some exceptions. Many local jurisdictions have also enacted burn bans and more are expected as we head into a potentially record-breaking heat wave and the 4th of July holiday weekend. Those that are considering outdoor burning, campfires, etc, should check with the appropriate jurisdiction for information on burn bans for their area.  Agriculture, Rangeland and Domestic Wells: With the unusually warm and dry spring, dryland agricultural is starting to see stress on spring crops due to soil moisture shortages. Livestock water supplies may also be affected, and some operators are already seeking alternate sources of water. There are some early indicators of issues with low levels in domestic wells. As we move further into summer it is likely we will see more impacts to agriculture, livestock, and domestic use from water shortages.  CLIMATE SUMMARY...  Precipitation and Temperature Outlook The latest outlook for July, August, and September from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) favors elevated chances of warmer than normal temperatures. Several climate models continue to favor a continuation of above normal temperatures. On average, cities across the Inland Northwest have the following probabilities for temperatures falling within below, normal, and above normal categories: Below 15% Normal 30% Above 55% More uncertainty exists for precipitation amounts in our region, with the CPC calling for equal chances of below, normal, and above normal precipitation occurring.  El Nino Update: During the winter of 2014/2015, a weak El Nino was present. However, El Nino is strengthening at the moment and there is around an 85% chance of it persisting into next winter.  Currently, the CPC favors a strong El Nino for the fall and early winter.  El Nino usually does not impact our summer weather; however, during the winter El Nino typically brings warmer than normal temperatures with below normal snowfall to the Inland Northwest, with elevated odds of drier than normal conditions. Every El Nino year is unique, though, with even strong El Nino years behaving differently. For example, the 1982-1983 El Nino brought wetter than normal conditions to the entire Inland NW, while the 2009-2010 brought drier than normal conditions. In general, there remains high uncertainty with the precipitation forecast for next winter.  NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... The next Drought Information Statement will be issued in late July or sooner, if necessary, in response to significant changes in conditions.