Drought in Washington
Every drought event the National Weather Service has filed in Washington, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
The most significant on the map
The most significant drought episodes in Washington.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 40
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $12 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Drought in Washington, March 10 to 30, 2005The governor declared a drought after a fall and winter of much below normal precipitation. As of March 15th, Olympia was -15.84 inches below normal since Oct 1st. The White, Green and Puyallup rivers, together, are at 25 percent of normal.
- Drought in Washington, March 14, 2001October 2000 through March 2001 has been the second driest oct-mar period at Seattle-Tacoma Airport since 1945. From October 1st through March 31st, the airport recorded 16.27 inches of precipitation. This is 11.61 inches below normal (58 percent of normal).
- Drought in Washington, July 1 to 31, 1999Drought reduced the yields of winter wheat and green peas during the harvest this month. Below average rainfall affected most of the Columbia basin and the foothills of the Blue Mountains this winter and spring.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.