Drought could be declared in days
Federal officials to meet with Gregoire on coping with lack of snow, rain
With temperatures remaining stubbornly high and snowfall uncommonly low, state and federal officials are likely to declare a drought emergency for Washington as early as next week, intensifying concerns that this summer could spawn serious wildfires and financial misery for farmers.
Gov. Christine Gregoire is scheduled to meet with federal officials early next week to review snow and weather data, clearing the way for a decision by Thursday, a state official said.
But from what she’s already seen, Gregoire is virtually certain that a drought emergency will be declared. The only question, she said, is how much of the state will be covered.
“We have one river (basin) that is at 4 percent (of average snowpack) and it’s not going to recover between now and March 7,” Gregoire said in an interview earlier this week. Even the Columbia River “is a big question mark,” she said, though it is unlikely to be included.
The severity of the problem is obvious to anyone who’s tried to go skiing, only to be greeted by barren, exposed ground. Experts say there is still time for the deficit to be reversed, but the odds are long.
“Snowpack readings across the state are near record lows,” the Natural Resources Conservation Service said in its most recent survey of Washington.
Statewide, according to the federal agency, Washington’s snowpack was only 26 percent of average.
“The focus is now shifting to ‘how bad is it going to be?’ ” said Scott Pattee, a water supply specialist for the conservation service in Mount Vernon. Pattee noted that Washington needs two to three times the normal snowfall over the next two months to bring the snowpack up to normal levels.
The most recent snow survey for the Green River Basin showed it carrying only 4 percent of its normal average, making it the lowest snowpack in the state.
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Drought could be declared in days