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  "path": "/2026/04/when-drought-not-drought.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-11T22:36:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://cliffmass.blogspot.com",
  "textContent": "**This year, the Washington State Department of Ecology and others (e.g., the Seattle Times) are claiming we are in a drought emergency.**\n\nIn several of my recent blogs, I explained why I think they are wrong.\n\nPrecipitation has been above normal, reservoirs are full, substantial snowpack is in place (about 50% of normal), soils are moist, current forecasts are for substantial spring precipitation, and there is little evidence of any impacts of the low snowpack on water supplies or agriculture.\n\n**Remember, a key aspect of a drought is that it has to have substantial IMPACTS.**\n\nTo quote the drought.gov website:\n\nA drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall or, generally, a severe deficiency of moisture, resulting in water shortages for people, agriculture, and ecosystems.\n\nDroughts need to have impacts, and the negative impacts of the high precipitation/low snowpack situation this year will be minimal\n\nIt would be interesting to evaluate the track record of drought advocates in government, the media, and climate advocacy groups.\n\n**So let's do it!**\n\nConsider last year (2025).\n\nThe Department of Ecology put out a drought EMERGENCY declaration in early April and expanded it greatly on June 5, 2025:\n\n\n\n\nThe Seattle Times and other media outlets had several drought stories, becoming increasingly ominous over time, about the serious drought threat (see sample below).\n\nIn my blog last year, I argued against the extreme drought mania, providing the actual water supply numbers, which suggest little or no impact. But the dire warnings continued and amplified.\n\n\n\n\n**A year later, we know the truth: there was no problem with water supply for the population, and Washington Agriculture flourished. The dire warnings were totally wrong.**\n\n\n\n\nSeattle's water supply? Never got close to low-reservoir conditions in 2025 (dashed lines below). Other major water supply reservoirs (e.g., Tacoma, Everett, etc) were similar.\n\n\n\n\n**How about the 2025 crops?**\n\n\n\n\n**Apples?** There was a RECORD-EQUALING harvest of excellent quality (color and size).\n\n\n\n\n**Cherries?** A strong, bumper crop with some of the best quality in years, with a long season. Excellent quality and big fruit.\n\n\n\n\n**Potatoes?** The 2025 crop was characterized by high quality and excellent growing conditions, with a similar yield to 2024. Chris Voigt, Executive Director at the Washington Potato Commission, noted that 2025 lacked extended periods of heat and overall had ideal weather conditions for potatoes.\n\n\n\n\n**Wheat?** USDA’s Small Grains Summary, Washington, noted that the state produced 141.5 million bushels of wheat in 2025, which is down 1.5% from 2024, but still 12% above the five-year average.\n\n\n\n\n**Raspberries?** Last year’s total production exceeded 60 million pounds, which will be the highest harvest since 2018.\n\n\n\n\n\nI could discuss more crops, but you get the message. **2025 was an excellent year for Washington State agriculture, with little evidence of drought impacts.**\n\n\n\n\nDid drought greatly reduce Northwest hydropower output (see U.S. government analysis below)?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNope. According to Federal data, NW hydropower was close to the long-term average, with a nice recovery from 2025.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**The bottom line in all this is that there was little evidence of drought over our region based on impacts, and such impacts are required to call a situation a drought.**\n\n\n\n\nSome locations are fortunate to receive more precipitation than is required, and we are lucky to be in such a place.\n\n\n\n\n**For me, a more interesting question is why Washington State officials don't understand this basic fact?**\n\n\n\n\nAnd why are Seattle Times reporters not completing the simple research that indicates that last year's drought warnings were without any basis in terms of impacts?\n\n\n\n\n**I bet you guess why such deceptive, scary language is being used by those responsible for informing us.**\n\n\n\n\nBut whatever the motive, it is very harmful, resulting in unnecessary worry and leading to bad decisions (like the wasteful, corrupting Washington State CCA, which preferentially hurts low-income people while enriching special interest groups).\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n",
  "title": "When a \"Drought\" NOT a Drought?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-12T05:22:26.339Z"
}