Rain and snow fall have slipped below 75 percent of normal. Forecasters say it's very unlikely that rain can bring the area's precipitation up to 75 percent of normal by fall. Normal rainfall through September would leave the Pullman area five inches short of average for the 12-month period and the area would be exactly on the 75 percent of normal figure that usually defines drought. It would take 12.5 inches of rain by the end of September to bring the area back up to average. Defined hydrologically, the state is in an even deeper drought.
Hydrology has to do with surface and subsurface water supplies.
It is measured in stream flows and the amount of water in lakes, reservoirs and aquifers. Hydrologically speaking, the drought extends over the entire Pacific Northwest where many streams are forecast to run at about half the normal volume through September. Orchardists worry not just about this year's crop, but whether they will be able to keep trees alive to produce when the drought is over. Socioeconomic measures also lie mostly in the future as Northwest businesses, industries and residents almost certainly will experience shortages of electricity and water. They may find prohibitively expensive energy prices.