With December's floods, are we still in a drought?
EVERETT — Snohomish County and Western Washington experienced record-breaking floods in December 2025, but did the deluge do anything for the drought conditions that have plagued the state for the past three years?
While maybe counterintuitive, climate scientists explain that winter flooding events can hint at summer droughts in the context of warming temperatures and meager snowpack levels.
For the past three years, the Washington Department of Ecology has issued widespread drought declarations across the state. Declarations are warranted if water supplies hit below 75% of normal, meaning the average of the last 30 year period, which is currently pulled from 1991 to 2020, and if water shortages are likely to create hardship for users or the environment.
“The important thing for drought, for folks to get, is it’s not just about dryness. It’s about water supply,” said Washington Department of Ecology Drought Coordinator Caroline Mellor. “Flooding is an indication that you might see drought the following summer because, with it being so warm, that rain should have been stored in snow pack, and it wasn’t.”
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/with-decembers-floods-are-we-still-in-a-drought/