The Office of the Washington State Climatologist, Climate Impacts Group, and partners release 2021 PNW Water Year Impacts Assessment

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The 2021 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment summarizes the water year conditions and related impacts experienced by farmers, water managers, fisheries managers, and other natural resource managers.

ACCESS THE ASSESSMENT

This assessment describes the climate of the water year and related impacts. For several years, researchers, water and resource managers, and organizations working to integrate research and resource management 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 annual water year meetings, an Annual Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Survey is used to collect information on water year impacts for multiple sectors. Impacts are summarized in this assessment  primarily based on 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.

The lead author, Karin Bumbaco, is from the UW Office of the Washington State Climatologist.Two authors of the report – Crystal Raymond and Matthew Rogers – are scientists at the UW Climate Impacts Group. The Oregon State Climatologist, and Idaho Department of Water Resources also developed the report with support from National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and state and regional partners.

Overall, the 2021 water year was warmer and drier than normal for the Pacific Northwest. As a whole, the 2021 water year tied 2016 as the fifth warmest and tied 1915 as the 17th driest (83% of normal precipitation) on record (since 1895; NOAA NCEI).

Agriculture, forestry, drinking water, fisheries, and recreation sectors were affected by the abnormally dry conditions. Impacts included less surface water available for agriculture and fishes, water rights restrictions, reduced crop yields, plant stress, tree mortality, and voluntary water restrictions. Impacts were particularly widespread in central and southern Oregon, eastern Washington, and several river basins in Idaho. The assessment details the impacts and responses to these impacts.

Please contact Karin Bumbao (kbumbaco@uw.edu) or Crystal Raymond (clrfire@uw.edu) if you have any questions on this assessment or comments for future assessments.

REGISTER: Oregon-Washington Water Year Meeting, October 28 & 29

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The Oregon-Washington Water Year 2020 Recap & 2021 Outlook Meeting will be held as two virtual meetings on the mornings of October 28 and 29. The annual water year meeting is an opportunity to review climate-related impacts of the previous water year and learn about the forecast for the upcoming water year.

In addition to hearing from the forecast experts, both days will include time for discussion and peer-to-peer learning. We encourage participation from a wide range of sectors including utilities, agriculture and forestry.

Register

Day 1: October 28; 9 a.m. to noon P.T.

The first day will feature a recap of the 2020 water year with a focus on extremes — from winter flooding to drought to wildfire. Given the incredible impacts in Oregon this year, the meeting will feature events and impacts from Oregon and also cover key impacts in Washington.

Day 2: October 29; 9 a.m. to noon P.T.

The second day will feature the Outlook for the 2021 water year, as well as new resources that can be used to plan and prepare for the future climate and climate-related events.

View agenda

This year we have a survey to gather information about impacts that occurred during the 2020 water year due to abnormally dry or abnormally wet conditions, as well as actions taken to prevent or minimize impacts. Please complete the survey to share your knowledge about impacts. We look forward to discussing the results and getting your feedback on the survey at the meeting.

Complete survey 

This event is hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist with planning committee participation from the Oregon Climate Service, Oregon State University’s Climate Impacts and Research Consortium, the Oregon Water Resources Department, the WA Department of Ecology, and USDA Northwest Climate Hub and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Case Studies Illustrate How Water Utilities May Adapt to Climate Change

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Changing climate has far-reaching impacts, and is testing parts of society’s ability to continue doing business-as-usual.  Among these are water utilities, the entities responsible for delivering clean, fresh water to our nation’s households and managing wastewater and stormwater. The UW Climate Impacts Group in partnership with the Water Utility Climate Alliance is currently helping meet that need by assisting water managers and water utilities understand how climate change will impact their systems and what measures they can adopt now to be proactive in preparing for the future.

Puget Sound’s ‘warm snow’ makes region vulnerable to climate shifts

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Harriet Morgan, research consultant with the Climate Impacts Group, is interviewed for this article on how decreasing snowpack in the mountains stands to affect humans and wildlife. “We are experiencing a change in the fundamental characteristics of our hydrology,” Morgan says. “We are going to have more water in winter when we don’t need it and less water in summer when we do.”