OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington state’s ongoing drought conditions aren’t expected to let up anytime soon.

The state’s Water Supply Availability Committee recently met with the Washington State Department of Ecology to give an update on the current state of Washington’s water supply.

They say December’s heavy rains have helped the state’s average precipitation hold near normal levels during the water year, which begins in October.

But those levels have been below normal since January, as the state is on track for its third warmest water year on record.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the North Puget Sound Basin is at just 19% of the normal snowpack for the area, which includes Whatcom and Skagit counties.

SNOTEL map of Washington showing the Natural Resources Conservation Service percent of normal for snowpack in each watershed. Courtesy of Washington Dept. of Ecology/USDA

 

The state committee warns that the recent arrival of El Niño conditions could also result in a warmer and dryer upcoming winter.

It comes after Ecology declared a statewide drought emergency in April for the fourth straight year.