Oregon now 85% in drought, Washington 65%, with hotter and drier spring forecast
Published on March 28, 2026.
The spring season outlook for the western United States and the Pacific Northwest has been released by the National Weather Service (NWS), with forecasts predicting a hotter and drier spring for the region. Factors influencing the outlook include the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), low snowpack in the West, and soil moisture content throughout the lower 48 states. In Oregon, nearly 85% of the state is in some sort of drought designation, while in Washington, only 65% of state is affected by this. The forecast outlook for temperatures and precipitation for April, May, and June shows above average temperatures and below average precipitation for western US. The outlook also indicates a transition from La Niña to ENSO-neutral conditions, meaning neither El Niño nor El Niño.
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