Climate Impacts Group

Letter from the Director – April 2026

Dear friends, supporters and colleagues:

I loved seeing so many of you at our 30th anniversary film screening event! We were honored to celebrate with over 250 supporters, collaborators, and community members. I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful panel discussion at the end, when former governor Jay Inslee asked far-reaching questions about resilience, storytelling, climate policy, and hope. And, I appreciated the insight of the former Climate Impacts Group director, Dr. Amy Snover, about the important climate change adaptation work happening at every level of government and across diverse organizations. Most importantly, the evening was a reminder of the power of being part of a vast community of people who care deeply about a more just and resilient future. 

Wildfires are increasingly common in Western WA. Here’s what to expect this year

Low winter snowpack has led to increased fire potential across eastern Washington in June and July. Washington State Climatologist Guillaume Mauger is quoted.  

NW CASC Now Accepting Applications for its 2027 Faculty Fellowship Program

Statewide drought declared due to dismal snowpack

After a warm winter left Washington’s mountains largely bare this spring, the Washington Department of Ecology issued a statewide emergency drought declaration as projected water supplies are likely to fall far short of the state’s summer demand. Deputy State Climatologist Karin Bumbaco is quoted. 

4th WA drought emergency. ‘No way to sugarcoat’ power, fish and fire risks

The entire state of Washington was declared in a drought emergency Wednesday as state officials nervously eyed an unusually low snowpack and a likely hotter and drier than usual spring and summer ahead. At the heart of the declaration is the Yakima River basin, which is in a drought emergency for a fourth year in a row. Deputy State Climatologist Karin Bumbaco is quoted.  

WA declares unprecedented fourth drought emergency in a row

This year the snowpack sits at about half its normal levels and it’s melting early. This has been the state’s third-warmest winter on record, meaning that moisture is increasingly falling as rain rather than snow. Deputy State Climatologist Karin Bumbaco is mentioned.  

Pacific Northwest Water Year 2025 Impacts Assessment Released

The sixth annual Pacific Northwest (PNW) Water Year Impacts Assessment provides a detailed evaluation of climate conditions and related impacts across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington during the 2025 water year (October 1, 2024–September 30, 2025). 

Northwest starts to feel the heat following un-snowy winter

The Northwest has had plenty of precipitation, but too much of it fell as rain instead of snow for a plentiful snowpack to develop. October through December 2025 was the warmest such three-month period on record in Washington. The Washington State Climate Office is mentioned. 

WSDOT has begun clearing North Cascades Highway; weather has helped so far

Road damage and rockslides caused by heavy rain in the passes along Highway 20 will take time to remove and repair, even though the snowpack in the North Cascades is about 75% of normal. The Washington State Climate Office is mentioned. 

“Finding Tomorrow’s Climate in Today’s Landscapes”: New Study and Tools Available to Support Land Management Decisions Around Vegetation Change

A new, NW CASC-supported study led by researchers at the University of Montana and partners in the U.S. Forest Service, Conservation Science Partners, and Vibrant Planet, uses climate-analog modeling to explore the future of vegetation change in the western U.S. This study found that about one third of the western U.S. is highly vulnerable to ecological transformation by the middle of the 21st century, and that more than any other vegetation groups, subalpine forest and alpine ecosystems are most at risk of declining by mid-21st century.