The drought and rising water
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – There is no drought in this region, thanks to a wet winter.
“The lack of drought extends along the foothills of the Blue Mountains up through Walla Walla, the Walla Walla Valley, and down into the Columbia Basin,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Camden Plunkett said.
The above average snowpack in Oregon this winter also eased drought conditions in southeastern and Central Oregon.
“They do remain in moderate to extreme drought,” Plunkett said of those two areas. “That’s better than the extreme to exceptional drought that they were in prior to the wet season.”
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has lifted its hydrologic outlook in the Columbia Basin. At last report the McKay Reservoir was 86 percent full. The inflow is about 616 cubic feet per second and the outflow is estimated at 236 cfs. The Umatilla River at Pendleton is high, but not at flood stage, at 3,455 cfs. No flooding is expected on the Umatilla River at Gibbon.
Minor flooding is considered likely in low-lying and poor-drainage areas of Baker County until 4 p.m. Sunday. The same flood warning also applies to areas of southwest Idaho. Water will cover some roadways in those areas.
Minor flooding was anticipated for the Imnaha River last night. The Imnaha is then expected to fall below flood stage tonight and rise back above flood stage early Friday morning. Flood stage is 5.5 feet, and it’s predicted the river will rise above flood stage again early Friday morning and hit six feet Sunday morning. It will fall below flood stage a week from today (Tuesday).
