Drought
Near normalWashington drought
Share of state area in drought (D1-D4) or worse, week over week
Data through Sep 29, 2026 · source last checked Oct 1, 2026 · page revised Oct 1, 2026
Cite
- % in drought
About this data
- Source
- US Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, NOAA)
- Series
- Share of area in moderate drought (D1) or worse
- Geography
- Washington
- Unit
- %
- Calculation
- Conditions as of the prior Tuesday
- Last observation
- Sep 29, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly, released Thursdays
Drought held steady week over week (now 66%).
Washington drought held at 66% of state area in D1 or worse, unchanged week over week. The share has improved 6 percentage points month over month and 34 percentage points year over year, sitting 7 percentage points below the 5-year median.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | 66% | 66% | +0 pts |
| Month over month | 66% | 72% | -6 pts |
| Year over year | 66% | 100% | -34 pts |
| vs 5-yr median | 66% | 73% | -7 pts |
| Category | Share of area in this category | At this level or worse |
|---|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry | 28.3% | 94.2% |
| D1 moderate drought | 40.6% | 65.8% |
| D2 severe drought | 20.9% | 25.2% |
| D3 extreme drought | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| D4 exceptional drought | 0% | 0% |
| County | Area in drought (D1-D4) | Since last week | Most severe category | Weeks in drought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakima County | 16.5% | no change | D1 moderate drought | 86 |
Each county is read from the same weekly US Drought Monitor map, inside the county line. Weeks in drought counts the weekly maps in a row, up to the latest, that show any of the county in D1 or worse.
Previous weeks
Week of Sep 22, 2026
Washington drought eased to 66% of state area in D1-D4, down 4 percentage points week over week. Year over year, coverage has fallen 34 points from 100%. The current reading runs 7 points better than the 5-year median of 73%.
Week of Sep 8, 2026
Drought held steady at 72% of Washington state for the week through September 8. Over the month, coverage worsened 8 points, though year-over-year the state has improved 28 points from last September. It sits 4 points below its 5-year median.
Week of Sep 1, 2026
Drought held steady at 72% week over week but worsened 8 percentage points month over month. Year over year, drought coverage has fallen 28 percentage points, reflecting a substantial improvement from a year ago. The current 72% is 4 percentage points below the 5-year median.
Week of Aug 25, 2026
Drought coverage in Washington held steady at 72% week over week, though conditions worsened 8 percentage points over the month from 64%. Year over year the state has improved, down from 100% last August. The 72% coverage sits 13 points above the 5-year median for this period.
Washington drought conditions
Washington has 65.8% of its area in drought (D1 or worse) on the US Drought Monitor map dated Sep 29, 2026, and 94.2% at least abnormally dry (D0 or worse). The most severe category present is D3, extreme drought, covering 4.4% of the state.
Over the last 52 weekly maps the share in drought ranged from 23.9% (Jan 6, 2026) to 96.9% (Oct 21, 2025), and every one of them showed at least some drought.
The Monitor sorts land into five categories, from D0, abnormally dry and not yet drought, to D4, exceptional drought, and this page counts D1 through D4 as drought. The guide to what D0 to D4 mean explains each class, who draws the weekly map and why it lags a fast-moving storm.