The last weeks of summer find Oregon and much of the Northwest experiencing historic drought, exacerbating what has become one of the most active wildfire seasons in the state and region, according to state and federal climatologists and hydrologists.
Beyond fish and ecological impacts, drought across Oregon, Idaho and Washington is causing water supply shortages for public water and electric utilities, costing farmers tens of millions of dollars in lost crops and leaving vegetation and soils dry and susceptible to fires.
Wildfire and drought maps overlaid by Oregon’s State Climatologist Larry O’Neill on Monday during an online drought and climate outlook meeting hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show the summer’s wildfires popping up over historically dry areas of the state and region…