WA closing in on 1 million acres burned as drought fuels one of state’s worst wildfire seasons

Washington’s drought is making an already busy wildfire season worse, and the outlook into fall is not encouraging.

During a Pacific Northwest drought and climate webinar Monday, Oregon State Climatologist Larry O’Neill said drought is not starting the fires. But it is helping them grow.

“Drought didn’t cause these ignitions, but it created the conditions with exceptionally dry vegetation fuels to favor rapid fire growth and extreme impacts once those fires started,” O’Neill said.

He said drought, critical fire weather and repeated lightning outbreaks have combined for one of the Northwest’s most active wildfire seasons in memory.

Fourth straight drought year, and fall won’t bring relief

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Washington is closing in on 1 million acres burned this year. The state is also in its fourth straight drought year, with parts of north-central Washington now in extreme drought.

And there may not be much relief this fall.

NOAA hydrologist Katherine Fitzpatrick said the next three months are expected to stay warmer and drier than normal.

“The next three months’ precipitation will remain below normal, and temperatures will remain above normal,” Fitzpatrick said. “We have a 90% chance of a very strong El Niño.”

That could create another problem this winter.

Fitzpatrick said El Niño is associated with snow drought in the Northwest.

That raises the risk of a second straight winter with poor mountain snowpack. This year’s weak snowpack has already helped drive low stream flows and worsening drought across Washington.

That leaves Washington heading into fall already short on water, with another low-snowpack winter now a real concern.