744
AXUS76 KPQR 151609
DGTPQR
ORC003-005-007-009-027-039-041-043-047-051-053-057-067-071-WAC011-
015-049-059-069-221615-
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
909 AM PDT FRI MAY 15 2026
..DROUGHT UPDATE FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR NW OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON
VALID MAY 15, 2026
ISSUED BY: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND, OR
CONTACT INFORMATION: NWS.PORTLAND@NOAA.GOV
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED MONTHLY OR SOONER IF DROUGHT
CONDITIONS CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY. PLEASE SEE ALL CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS AT HTTPS://DROUGHT.GOV/DROUGHT-INFORMATION-
STATEMENTS. PLEASE VISIT
HTTPS://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PQR/DROUGHTINFORMATIONSTATEMENT FOR
PREVIOUS STATEMENTS. PLEASE VISIT HTTPS://WWW.DROUGHT.GOV/DROUGHT-
STATUS-UPDATES FOR REGIONAL DROUGHT STATUS UPDATES. PREDOMINANTLY
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN APRIL SNOWPACK IS CURRENTLY MUCH
BELOW AVERAGE (RECORD LOW LEVELS) ABNORMALLY DRY TO MODERATE
DROUGHT CONDITIONS AFFECT MOST OF THE AREA EASTERN LANE COUNTY IS
NOW CLASSIFIED IN D3 EXTREME DROUGHT
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR
DROUGHT INTENSITY AND EXTENT
D3 (EXTREME DROUGHT): EASTERN LANE
D2 (SEVERE DROUGHT): EASTERN LANE, LINN, AND MARION COUNTIES
D1 (MODERATE DROUGHT): CENTRAL LANE, WESTERN LINN, MARION, EASTERN
POLK, EASTERN BENTON, EASTERN YAMHILL AND SOUTHERN CLACKAMAS
COUNTY D0: (ABNORMALLY DRY): CLATSOP, COLUMBIA, TILLAMOOK,
WASHINGTON, MULTNOMAH, HOOD RIVER, YAMHILL, LINCOLN, NORTHERN
CLACKAMAS AND MARION, WESTERN POLK, WESTERN BENTON, AND WESTERN
LANE COUNTY. IN WASHINGTON: SKAMANIA, CLARK, SOUTHERN COWLITZ AND
WAHKIAKUM, AND THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN EDGES OF PACIFIC COUNTY
RECENT CHANGE IN DROUGHT INTENSITY
FOUR WEEK DROUGHT MONITOR CLASS CHANGE.
DROUGHT WORSENED: OREGON COASTAL RANGE WORSENED TO D-0 ABNORMALLY
DRY [ CLATSOP, TILLAMOOK, LINCOLN, WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN
YAMHILL], CENTRAL WESTERN OREGON NEAR CASCADES WENT FROM D1 TO D2
(SEVERE DROUGHT) [POLK, WESTERN MARION AND CLACKAMAS ], LANE AND
LINN COUNTIES ALSO WORSENED TO SEVERE DROUGHT IN PORTIONS OF THEIR
COUNTY. WESTERN LANE COUNTY HAS DEVELOPED D3 (EXTREME DROUGHT) NO
CHANGE: NO CHANGE IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
[ PACIFIC, WAHKIAKUM, COWLITZ, CLARK, SKAMANIA] AND OREGON NEAR
THE CASCADES AND COASTAL RANGE [COLUMBIA , WASHINGTON, YAMHILL,
BENTON, HOOD RIVER, CLACKAMAS, MARION, WESTERN LANE, SOUTHERN
LINCOLN ] AS WELL AS THE PORTLAND METRO AREA [MULTNOMAH,
CLACKAMAS, YAMHILL, WASHINGTON]
PRECIPITATION
IN THE LAST 30 DAYS, THERE WAS A RANGE OF MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION IN EASTERN OREGON TO MUCH BELOW AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION IN NW WASHINGTON. BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN
MOST OF WESTERN OREGON.
TEMPERATURE
NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPS WERE OBSERVED ACROSS MUCH OF WA AND
OR. OREGON: 20TH WARMEST APRIL WASHINGTON: 21ST WARMEST APRIL
THE LAST WEEK SAW OVER 8 DEGREE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (1991-2020
AVG)
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS
HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS
THERE ARE NO KNOWN IMPACTS AT THIS TIME
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS
THERE ARE NO KNOWN IMPACTS AT THIS TIME
FIRE HAZARD IMPACTS
THERE ARE NO KNOWN IMPACTS AT THIS TIME
OTHER IMPACTS
INCREASED WATERING OF LAWNS AND GARDENS (CMOR)
MITIGATION ACTIONS
THERE ARE NO KNOWN ACTIONS AT THIS TIME
FIRE HAZARD IMPACTS
WEST OF THE CASCADES HAS NORMAL FIRE POTENTIAL FOR JUNE AND JULY
AUGUST HAS AN ABOVE NORMAL SIGNIFICANT WILDLAND FIRE POTENTIAL
DROUGHT OUTLOOK
THE LATEST MONTHLY AND SEASONAL OUTLOOKS CAN BE FOUND ON THE CPC
HOMEPAGE. DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO PERSIST OR WORSEN FOR
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOR THE 3 MONTH OUTLOOK PERIOD. DURING THIS
TIME, THE ENTIRETY OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS PREDICTED TO BE IN
A DROUGHT OF VARYING SEVERITY.
.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING
NOAA'S
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
INFORMATION, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA), STATE AND
REGIONAL CLIMATOLOGISTS, AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION
CENTER.
INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT WAS GATHERED FROM NWS AND NATURAL
RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS) OBSERVATION SITES, RIVER
AND
RESERVOIR DATA FROM THE US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, THE US ARMY CORPS
OF
ENGINEERS, THE US BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, AND STATE WATER
RESOURCES
AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES.
.CONTACT INFORMATION:
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION
STATEMENT, PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
PORTLAND,
OREGON.
W-PQR.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV
503-261-9246
WEATHER.GOV/PORTLAND
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