Snowfall in Wa Cascades May Offer Limited Relief for Yakima County Drought

All the snow in the Washington Cascades that fell over the last week may help but likely won't make a big impact on the current drought situation in Yakima County and Washington State. That from Scott Revell the Manager of the Roza Irrigation District.

NOT A LOT OF HOPE FOR A CHANGE

Revell says while all the snow is welcomed in the mountains it's "not expected to make a major difference in our 2026 water supply." In fact he says the forecast for rain and warmer temperatures later this month could melt some of the snow and impact the snowpack. He says reservoir levels will increase as a result of the snowstorm and that's always good news. But Revell says while there's good snow accumulation "we are just in a "deep snowpack hole and it looks like a good deal of it will melt in the next 10 to 15 days."

READ MORE: A FATAL CRASH TAKES THREE LIVES IN MOXEE

THE NEXT WATER SUPPLY FORECAST EXPECTED MARCH 31

Revell says the district's Hydrologist will not run calculations until the current event is over. The next official water supply forecast will be issued on April 9 and will be based on data as of midnight on March 31. Cross your fingers for cooler not warmer weather in the Washington Cascades because Revell says overnight temps below freezing in the mountains at 3,000 feet elevation and below can help hold the snowpack.

THE LATEST FORECAST HAS BAD NEWS FOR JR. WATER RIGHTS

The Bureau of Reclamation released the March 2026 total water supply forecast for the Yakima basin earlier this month and it shows there won't be enough water to "fully meet irrigation demands this season." Reclamation officials, in a news release say the early estimate for total water supply for the April-September growing period shows senior water rights holders will get 100% full entitlements. Junior water rights holders will receive only 44% of their total water supply.