"Climate models show warmer winters, with precipitation rates staying about the same but producing more rain and less snowpack, which leads to summer drought."
"SEATTLE — In December 2025, torrential rains and catastrophic flooding hit western Washington. High precipitation levels, combined with the warmest December on record for the state, meant that many mountainous areas received rain rather than snow, leading to a deluge that broke through two levees and caused an estimated $182 million in damages to public infrastructure.
The lack of snowpack also led to drought later in the summer of 2026.
A draft legislative report and forecast, released this month by the Washington State Department of Ecology, reveals that changing precipitation patterns, like those seen in December 2025, are primed to leave their mark across the state as more snow falls as rain, particularly impacting eastern Washington—a reality that is far too familiar for agricultural communities in the region.
“ We are now in our unprecedented fourth consecutive year of significant drought in the Yakima River Basin,” said Urban Eberhart, manager of the Kittitas Reclamation District, which provides water for over 60,000 acres of primarily agricultural lands."
Claire Barber reports for Inside Climate News July 22, 2026.
