Local Washington counties are now considered almost as bad as it gets for drought. Asotin, Garfield, & Whitman Counties have been declared “extreme drought” (D3) by the federal government. Only “exeptional drought”(D4) is worse on the designation scale.
Most of Washington is in either moderate drought or severe drought status. In Idaho, most of the local area was already considered “extreme”. Nez Perce, Clearwater, Latah, Lewis, and Benewah counties are all in that category along with parts or most of the neighboring counties.
The new designation makes farmers in primary and neighboring counties eligible to apply for federal Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance.
