Despite rain, region is still in drought

Nov. 27—Despite the rain and snow that fell on the Palouse in recent days, the region is still in the midst of a drought according to weather data.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows parts of Whitman County and Latah County are still experiencing extreme drought or exceptional drought conditions depending on the location.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Miranda Cote said that regardless of the time of year, an area can still be in a drought if there is a dearth of precipitation.

"We've got to catch up before we can be out of a drought," Cote said.

The National Weather Service officially classified Eastern Washington as being in a moderate drought in April. That classification was upgraded to extreme drought in early June and exceptional drought in mid-July.

Cote said that before this year, the region has never been in an exceptional drought, the most severe drought classification.

This has been the fifth-driest year in Whitman County to date in 127 years of data collection, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. It has been the 12th-driest year to date in Latah County.

However, precipitation has improved in the fall. The Pullman area has received an above-normal amount of precipitation of 4.72 inches since Oct. 1, which Cote said is considered the start of the wet season.

Still, the amount of precipitation since Jan. 1 remains below normal, Cote said.

NIDIS data shows Washington and Idaho are not alone — most of the Western U.S. is still in a drought which has left groundwater levels and reservoirs low.

Since the region will be entering a La Nina winter, Cote said this could lead to above normal precipitation and below normal temperatures in the coming months.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.