Publication Summary

Drought has always been a feature of Washington′s climate. While it is generally viewed as a climate anomaly, in fact drought is the dry part of the normal climate cycle. What is unusual is that droughts appear to be occurring more frequently. The state experienced its second driest year on record in 2001 – and in every year since, the state has encountered at least one season with unusually dry weather conditions.

Water year 2005 (October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005) came on the heels of a year where the mountain snowpack melted earlier than normal, followed by a warm and fairly dry summer. Water year 2005 got off to a good start. October precipitation ranged between normal to well-above normal for all but the north Puget Sound region. However, that situation abruptly changed from November 2004 through February 2005. Statewide precipitation was below-average except for the extreme northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula and the westernmost part of Whatcom County. With few exceptions, nearly the entire southern part of the state had well-below average precipitation.