2021 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment

The purpose of the 2021 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment is to summarize the water year conditions and sector impacts as a resource for future management of drought and other climate extremes.

For several years, researchers, practitioners, and organizations working across practitioner–research boundaries in Oregon and Washington have held a joint Water Year Recap and Outlook meeting. A separate but similar meeting in Idaho is also held each year. In addition to these impact discussions, an Annual Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Survey is used to collect information on water year impacts for multiple sectors. This assessment primarily reflects the information from the meeting discussions, the survey, and author expertise. Drought and, to a lesser extent, the June 2021 heat wave and its impacts are the focus of this report.

This report was a collaboration between the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, Climate Impacts Group, Oregon State Climatologist, Idaho Department of Water Resources, and NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System.

This is the second annual assessment; view the 2020 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment.