As Washington’s current snowpack conditions become worse than last year, a statewide drought emergency has been declared. It’s the fourth drought emergency for the state in as many years.
According to Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington State Department of Ecology, “widespread shortages and challenges across our state” are expected.
The Washington State Department of Ecology declared a drought emergency on April 8, 2026. It’s the fourth year in a row that the state had declared a drought emergency.
Courtesy of Washington State Department of Ecology
“Going into April with half of our usual snowpack is alarming,” Sixkiller said. “… Issuing a drought emergency now helps water users prepare for what is likely to be a very difficult summer. This is becoming an all-too-common experience and is another example of how climate change is visibly reshaping our landscape.”
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The Department of Ecology declared the drought emergency on April 8. Above normal temperatures and below normal rain is expected through June. A declaration like this is called for when the state has less than 75% of its normal water supply. The official emergency allows the state to distribute $3 million in grants and speed up water right permits.
Ecology notes that Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett anticipated a drought this year and began planning for one over the past winter. Therefore, they do not expect to be impacted by the drought. Other parts of the state may face challenges, however.
The news might sound odd to Washingtonians after the region saw 104% of normal precipitation between October 2025 and February 2026. The winter, however, was quite warm and most of that precipitation fell as rain, not as snow in the mountains. That contributed to severe downstream flooding in December. The ocean got most of the water that Washington usually saves as snow in the mountains.
Mountain snow is important for Washington. It’s where the water supply is built up over winter and stored. It melts in the summer, sending water down rivers and streams for use throughout the state. Less mountain snow means less summer water for hydropower production, agriculture, fish and wildlife.
“After our warmest December on record, we finally began to build snowpack in early January before an extended mid-winter dry spell through early March stopped snow accumulation in its tracks,” said Karin Bumbaco, deputy state climatologist with the Washington State Climate Office.
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“Even the heavy snowfall in mid-March was not enough to make up multiple months of poor snowpack growth, and early spring warmth has melted much of those gains,” she said. “The weather progression this winter has lined up to deliver very challenging conditions going into spring and summer.”
According to the Department of Ecology, 2026 snowpack levels in Washington’s mountains are worse than in 2025, when anxieties over low snow began to rise. Since 2015, four statewide drought emergencies have been declared in Washington, and there have been droughts in parts of the state in seven of the past 10 years.
Back in the 1990s, such droughts happened once every five years, according to Ecology. Now, they’re showing up about four out of every 10 years. By the year 2050, the state expects droughts to occur every seven out of 10 years.
Dyer Oxley is a reporter at KUOW. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
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The Justice Department (DOJ) is asking a federal judge in Virginia to allow it to conduct its own search of a Washington Post reporter’s seized electronic devices, rather than have the court do the review.
Federal prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga in a March 31 court filing to overturn a lower court ruling that prohibited the DOJ from using a “filter team” to search reporter Hannah Natanson’s phone and laptop as part of an FBI investigation into a government contractor accused of leaking classified material.
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Magistrate Judge William Porter ordered in February that the government could not “open, access, review, or otherwise examine” any of Natanson’s “seized data,” instead authorizing an independent judicial review.
“Given the documented reporting on government leak investigations and the government’s well-chronicled efforts to stop them, allowing the government’s filter team to search a reporter’s work product—most of which consists of unrelated information from confidential sources—is the equivalent of leaving the government’s fox in charge of the Washington Post’s henhouse,” Porter wrote.
Federal prosecutors have pushed back, arguing that Porter’s order infringes on the separation of powers by shifting an executive branch function into a judicial one.
They also asserted that it could compromise the neutrality courts are meant to maintain in overseeing search warrants and related proceedings.
“That principle is even more important here because the search authorized by this warrant involves the identification and seizure of classified national defense information, a responsibility the law entrusts to the Executive’s expertise,” federal prosecutors wrote.
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The case stems from an FBI search of Natanson’s home in January, in which agents took two laptops, a cellphone and a Garmin watch belonging to the journalist, who had been reporting on the Trump administration’s effort to trim government spending and cuts to the federal workforce.
The search was conducted in connection with a government system administrator in Maryland, who is now behind bars, according to the DOJ.
Attorneys for the Post have contended that the warrant and subsequent search were an example of federal overreach and violated First Amendment press protections.
“The government should not receive permission to rummage through a reporter’s professional universe,” Simon Latcovich said during a Thursday hearing, according to The Post.
The newspaper reported that Trenga, appointed by former President George W. Bush, said he would “get a decision shortly” but seemed skeptical that Porter’s ruling would hamper the DOJ’s ability to build its case against the contractor.
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Obama surprises veterans on honor flight to DC for Veterans Day
Former President Barack Obama greets veterans arriving in DC, thanking them and gifting Presidential Challenge coins.
A critically acclaimed musical about Barack Obama is coming to Washington DC for the first time, with tickets still available for its limited run.
After making its world premiere in Los Angeles in 2024, “44: The Musical” had stops in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City.
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Now it’s coming to DC for a 25-show run at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre just a few blocks away from Obama’s former home at the White House.
Here’s what to know about the musical and how you can get tickets.
What is ’44: The Musical’ about?
Told through the “hazy recollection” of Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden, the musical features original songs that capture key moments of Barack Obama’s presidency with satire, humor and a dose of political nostalgia.
“’44: The Musical’ is the story of Obama you won’t read about in history books… because history books are now banned in most states,” Shakespeare Theatre says on its website. “But also because ’44’ is the story of Obama as Joe Biden kinda sorta remembers it.”
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The musical features 24 songs through a wide range of genres, including R&B, gospel and pop, along with “a live-band driven score (that captures) the music, momentum and communal spirit that defined a generation.”
Characters in “44: The Musical” include Obama and Biden, Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz.
Runtime for the musical, written and directed by former Obama campaign staffer Eli Bauman, is two hours and 15 minutes.
When is ’44: The Musical’ coming to Washington DC?
“44: The Musical” begins its limited run at The Shakespeare Theatre on April 18.
There will be 25 shows, with the last two coming on May 10.
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How can you get tickets to the Obama musical in DC?
You can purchase tickets for “44: The Musical” at ShakespeareTheatre.org.
As of April 10, all 25 shows had seating availability.
“The people of D.C. deserve an infusion of joy right now,” Bauman said in a press release. “With all the heaviness going on in our country, ’44’ is here to provide a fun night out — where a room full of strangers can laugh and reminisce about a time when the country felt full of hope, and when the biggest presidential scandal was wearing a tan suit.”
GOLD BAR, Wash. — Hikers, bicyclists and other park-goers can expect to see restrictions at state park trails and campgrounds as the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reviews where it will reduce recreation access across the state.
The DNR explained the upcoming restrictions are because of state budget cuts combined with an ongoing lack of funding for maintenance and staff.
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Some park goers told KOMO News they are frustrated their tax dollars may not keep their favorite trails open.
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Riding dirt bikes at Reiter Foothills State Forest is a family affair for the Millers.
“This is local, so it’s nice here. I love it here,” said Jacob Miller from Monroe.
“This is the first time I’ve gone riding somewhere that’s not my house,” Miller’s son Sterling added.
Excitement is building for more trips over the summer, but trails and campgrounds at state-managed areas are at risk of service disruptions and even closures amid a budget crisis.
“Keep the trails open. Let us play here. It really would suck if we don’t have that area anymore,” Miller’s wife Danielle stated.
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A photo of Reiter Foothills State Forest on April 9, 2026. (KOMO){ }
The governor signed off on the final budget, which cuts $750,000 a year in funding to the DNR’s Recreation Program. It clears trails, cleans restrooms, and addresses ongoing public abuse of millions of acres of land.
The reduction comes in addition to millions of dollars in prior cuts made to the program’s operating budget for the 2025-2027 biennium.
A draft list of potential impacts includes late openings or closures to 13 campgrounds; seasonal bathroom closures at sites in the Snoqualmie area; and partial closures at the Reiter Foothills State Forest.
“I guess it just feels horrible, right? Because, we don’t have very many places to go,” Danielle stated.
These changes are expected even after the state boosted the price of the Discover Pass in October. That’s expected to generate $1.2 million for DNR, but a spokesperson says it’s not enough to cover a roughly $8 million gap.
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Miller adds he’s confident avid trail-goers will find some sort of solution.
“The trails have been here before Washington state was involved,” Miller said. “They got involved and the trails are great now. But, there’s plenty of volunteers that are willing and able to [help]. I don’t think they need to be shutting down trails.”
DNR is identifying places that are the most expensive to manage and that would be easiest to close or reduce services. The agency expects to have an updated list of impacts in a few weeks.
