As of Tuesday, it has been three weeks (21 days) since the last observed rainfall in most of Western Washington (June 15th). The graphic below from my weather station shows the lack of rainfall.
Looking ahead, no rain is in sight. The Weather Underground forecast for Federal Way is below.
No rain through the next 5 days. Highs don’t make it out of the 70s on Wednesday and Thursday due to relatively strong marine pushes and associated clouds. Warmer temperatures, in the low-mid 80s, are in store for Friday and beyond, as less morning clouds are likely, allowing for more heating.
The 7-day forecast from the UW model shows a chance of 0.01-0.03 inches of rain for the lowlands, and up to 0.3” for the coast, but that’s it for Western WA. Northern parts of Eastern Washington may get up to 0.5”, good for the very dry conditions there.
Another good thing to notice is the possibility of 0.2-1.2 inches of rain for interior British Columbia. This will hopefully help lessen some of the wildfires.
Below is the Washington map from the US Drought Monitor.
The biggest change is that most of Eastern Washington is under severe or extreme drought. If the current dryness continues, drought coverage will get even worse across the state.
As of June 29th, 91.6% of the state is under some kind of drought, with 35.4% under extreme drought. I won’t be surprised if the extreme drought coverage continues increasing through the summer.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center outlook for July shows a 50-70% chance of above average temperatures for Washington this month.
Due to the very dry conditions in Washington, Governor Inslee has issued a state of emergency due to wildfires and the increased risk of them due to the very dry weather. See burn regulations here: WA DNR Burn Portal
Stay safe and take precautions due to the very dry conditions!
For information regarding Category 1 Hurricane Elsa, which is nearing the Florida Coast near Tampa, click here: National Hurricane Center-Hurricane Elsa
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