Drought could persist here until October

The 0.06 inches of rain last week, 0.03 inches Aug. 7 and again Aug. 9, measured at Washington State University’s Memorial Highway Mount Vernon station, was not drought-breaking ­precipitation.

Far from it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture national crop and livestock map shows all of Skagit County in drought for agriculture. The drought area is based on U.S. Drought Monitor data.

And the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook by the National Weather Service shows the drought persisting through October.

According to Washington State University’s WSU AgWeatherNet Summary of Aug. 14:

“Intense heat is expected this week on both sides of the Cascades with highs reaching their peak Monday and Tuesday in Western Washington. Temperatures will remain quite hot in Eastern Washington through the end of the week. The hottest locations will see at least four more days of triple digits. Fire danger will be inherently high due to the heat, but particularly on Thursday and Friday as westerly winds pick up.

“By the weekend, temperatures will be much cooler, but the extent of the cooldown remains uncertain, particularly in Western Washington. Models that once advertised a weekend in the lower 70s have now ticked high temperatures back up closer to 80. Overnight lows will also be more comfortable. We’ll keep an eye on rain and thunder chances, especially on Sunday.”