Governor declares drought emergency for Morrow County
By Terry Murry on Friday, April 24th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – Gov. Tina Kotek has declared a drought emergency in Morrow County as well as five other counties. The executive order directs state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance to the region.
This marks the second batch of counties under drought declarations this year. In total, nine of Oregon’s 36 counties are now under drought emergency status. Umatilla County was in the first group for that status.
As of April 7, 80 percent of Morrow County was in moderate to severe drought. Water-year-to-date indicators show drier than normal conditions for most of the county and precipitation conditions have been below normal over the last year.
Forecasted snowpack, temperature, precipitation, and water supply conditions suggest that drought conditions are likely to improve in the near future. Drought conditions are expected to significantly impact Oregon’s farms, ranches, recreation and tourism sectors, drinking water availability, and fish and wildlife habitats.
Map from the USDA shows Oregon drought conditions as of April 21
