SALEM, Ore. (KATU) Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has issued her first drought declaration of the year.
READ MORE | Oregon is now 85% dry, Washington 65%, with a hot and dry spring forecast.
Drought has been declared in Baker, Umatilla, and Deschutes Counties by Executive Order 26-05. This is the first drought emergency declared since 2022.
Government agencies have been ordered to coordinate and deploy first aid in the area.
The Governor’s office said: “Forecasts suggest that below normal rainfall and runoff levels are likely to continue throughout the summer in all counties after a long period of rain and temperatures contributed to below normal snowfall,” the Governor’s office said.
The three districts experienced moderate to severe drought conditions from May and June 2025.
According to the latest Oregon Water Conditions Report, the state is heading into spring with severely depleted water supplies. Snowpack statewide is only 29% of normal, and every basin in Oregon is below average. It is the second worst snowpack on record, after the 2015 winter season.
FILE – A kayaker paddles in Lake Oroville as water levels remain low due to ongoing drought conditions in Oroville, Calif., Aug. 22, 2021. The drought in the American West worsened last year to become the worst drought in at least 1200 years and the worst for new life. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
The report also shows that drought conditions are becoming more widespread, with more than 20% of the state in moderate drought and more than 4% in drought.
Water managers say those conditions are already forcing tough decisions ahead of irrigation season.
“This drought is probably one of the most severe, if not the worst on record,” said Craig Horrell, executive director of the Central Oregon Irrigation District.
Drought can have significant economic impacts on several industries across the country. Horrell said counties are bracing for major shortages, with some areas expecting about half of their normal water supply and smaller counties likely to run out by early July. That would directly affect farmers, who may have to cut production.
Fodder harvests are expected to be very low, which could raise feed costs and force some farmers to reduce their herds.
“They get one cut instead of three,” Horrell said. And if you look at the high dollar value crops, they choose not to grow them.
He added that the recent years of famine are increasing, saying that it is the first time in more than a hundred years that the region has stopped delivering water again and again.
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Last week, NOAA released its annual outlook. Meteorologists are predicting above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall during the spring and summer.
“Temperature plays a role in how fast we go through water,” Horrell said. “If we have a cool summer, the material can stretch a little longer. If we get a really hot summer, it evaporates and moves faster.”
With snowpack already at very low levels, prolonged heat or continued lack of rain could cause irrigation problems and deepen impacts on farmers across the region. State hydrologists say the conditions are part of a long trend, driven in part by record temperatures.
“This past winter was tied with 1934 for the warmest winter on record with a statewide average of 6.6 degrees above normal,” said Cameron Greenwood, a hydrologist with the Oregon Department of Water.
This photo from Tuesday, Oct. 5. 2021, shows the country beyond the area where Google wants to builda site of the original aluminum plant in Oregon. Dalles City Council member Long-Curtiss wants to know more about Google’s proposal to build more data centers in the city before the city council votes on the matter. As the demand for cloud computing grows, the world’s largest technology companies are building took a took place in arid places, despite the fact that it uses a lot of water per day. Some residents of The Dalles, Oregon, are opposed to Google’s proposal to buildotherotherotherlocal—————- (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
He said water supplies could be further damaged not only by low snowpack but also by increased evaporation as temperatures rise.
For ranchers, the effects are already being felt beyond just water availability.
“When a drought starts, the first and most immediate impact is always on forage growth,” said Diana Wirth, rancher and president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.
As pasture production declines and fodder yields decline, farmers are left with limited resources on their land while facing rising feed costs.
“This total means that farmers face more or less double the pressure. They get less food to weigh on their fields and higher prices to buy fodder and supplements,” said Wirth.
Wirth says those higher costs are often absorbed by ranchers rather than passed on to consumers. He added that farmers are already adapting by changing the size of their herds and finding ways to stretch the limited water and food supply.
Wirth said: “Making smart conservation decisions, I think our herd and our landrace species are at the forefront of our minds.”
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