Is Washington in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Washington, and the category in each of its 39 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 65.84% of Washington is in drought (D1 to D4).
94.19% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 25.24% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 4.35% extreme or worse (D3 to D4) and 0% in D4 Exceptional Drought.
Next map: released Thursday 22 October 2026.
On the map valid 13 October 2026, 27 of 39 counties had some drought (D1 or worse); 11 more were abnormally dry (D0) only. D3 Extreme Drought somewhere in 2. D2 Severe Drought somewhere in 16.
Every county, map valid 13 October 2026
The category is the most severe one covering any part of the county; the share says how much of it. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row with that category or worse somewhere in it.
| County | Category this week | Share in it | In drought (D1–D4) | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | D2 Severe Drought | 18.18% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Asotin County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Benton County | D2 Severe Drought | 0.03% | 52.42% | 11 weeks |
| Chelan County | D2 Severe Drought | 15.03% | 100% | 14 weeks |
| Clallam County | D1 Moderate Drought | 97.59% | 97.59% | 14 weeks |
| Clark County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | 37 weeks |
| Columbia County | D2 Severe Drought | 54.39% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Cowlitz County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 95.95% | 0% | 37 weeks |
| Douglas County | D1 Moderate Drought | 100% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Ferry County | D2 Severe Drought | 29.22% | 100% | 23 weeks |
| Franklin County | D2 Severe Drought | 0.35% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Garfield County | D2 Severe Drought | 69.17% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Grant County | D1 Moderate Drought | 100% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Grays Harbor County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 33.93% | 0% | 17 weeks |
| Island County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | 17 weeks |
| Jefferson County | D1 Moderate Drought | 52.95% | 52.95% | 14 weeks |
| King County | D1 Moderate Drought | 14.83% | 14.83% | 14 weeks |
| Kitsap County | D1 Moderate Drought | 78.79% | 78.79% | 14 weeks |
| Kittitas County | D1 Moderate Drought | 86.28% | 86.28% | at least 54 weeks |
| Klickitat County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Lewis County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 66.36% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Lincoln County | D2 Severe Drought | 39.7% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Mason County | D1 Moderate Drought | 21.55% | 21.55% | 14 weeks |
| Okanogan County | D3 Extreme Drought | 39.92% | 100% | 15 weeks |
| Pacific County | None | 0% | 22 weeks | |
| Pend Oreille County | D2 Severe Drought | 90.67% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Pierce County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| San Juan County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | 17 weeks |
| Skagit County | D2 Severe Drought | 47.73% | 89.68% | 9 weeks |
| Skamania County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Snohomish County | D2 Severe Drought | 3.05% | 63.74% | 5 weeks |
| Spokane County | D3 Extreme Drought | 45.96% | 100% | 7 weeks |
| Stevens County | D2 Severe Drought | 16.74% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Thurston County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 32.97% | 0% | 17 weeks |
| Wahkiakum County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 7.58% | 0% | 17 weeks |
| Walla Walla County | D2 Severe Drought | 64.81% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Whatcom County | D2 Severe Drought | 61.9% | 99.36% | 9 weeks |
| Whitman County | D2 Severe Drought | 83.02% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Yakima County | D1 Moderate Drought | 16.52% | 16.52% | at least 54 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in Washington by county · Drought in every state
The categories
| Category | Name |
|---|---|
| D0 | Abnormally Dry (not drought: going into or coming out of drought) |
| D1 | Moderate Drought |
| D2 | Severe Drought |
| D3 | Extreme Drought |
| D4 | Exceptional Drought |
What each category means on the ground is described on the Drought Monitor's classification page.
How this page reads the Drought Monitor
- The figures are the U.S. Drought Monitor's own statistics (share of area in each category), read from its data service. The categories are theirs, unchanged. This site does not make its own drought assessment.
- The Drought Monitor gives each county a share in each category. A county's category here is the most severe one covering any part of it, with the share it covers. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row, newest first, on which some of the county was at that category or worse.
- A new map is released every Thursday, valid for the Tuesday before. Every figure here carries that valid date. This site reads the new week once, after the Thursday release, and keeps it.
- Counties are matched to the Drought Monitor by their five-digit FIPS code. Connecticut is shown by its nine planning regions, which replaced its eight counties in 2022; the Drought Monitor's county statistics use the same planning regions.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, droughtmonitor.unl.edu · The official map for Washington · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is Washington in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 65.84% of Washington is in drought (D1 to D4) and 94.19% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4). 25.24% is in D2 Severe Drought or worse.
Which counties in Washington are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in Washington is D3 Extreme Drought, in Okanogan County, Spokane County.
How is a county's category chosen on this page?
The U.S. Drought Monitor gives the share of each county in each category. This page names the most severe category covering any part of the county, and always says how much of the county it covers.