Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sheriff salary goes up 10% for next year
COLFAX — Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) issued a drought advisory for Whitman County and 28 others across Washington.
Year-to-date moisture on the Palouse is tied for the sixth-lowest since 1940. Precipitation from January to present is 6.18 inches, which is tied with the amount recorded in 1994, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In a normal year, the number would average 10.25 inches.
Springtime precipitation is key to maintaining and building soil moisture for the ripening of wheat and other crops on the Palouse. Cattle grazing is another concern.
“The forage is just not there,” said Jeff Marti, DOE water resources planner.
In further statistics for Whitman County, Marti pointed to soil moisture percentiles at 0-2% compared to normal.
“Say you have a hundred kids in a class. The kids that had your two worst scores,” Marti said. “That’s kind of where you’re sitting this year.”
As 2021 is in the 0-2 percentile, last year was in the 20th. The mean, or average soil condition each year, would be at 50.
The drought advisory, the first one issued by DOE since it was granted the authority last year, comes after March through April posted the fourth-driest conditions statewide for the period since 1895.
A drought advisory is for informational purposes and does not include emergency authorizations or funding.
The lowest precipitation year-to-date since 1940 was 4.45 inches in 1977, according to the NOAA weather radio station.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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