Wasco County asks governor to declare drought emergency as snowpack, rainfall fall far below average
Emergency Manager Sheridan McClellan asked the board to adopt a resolution requesting Governor Tina Kotek declare a state drought emergency for Wasco County, citing Mount Hood snowpack well below average, only six inches of 2026 rainfall to date, and local agricultural impacts; the board approved Resolution 26-008 unanimously.
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Emergency Manager Sheridan McClellan urged the Wasco County Board of Commissioners to adopt Resolution 26-008 asking Governor Tina Kotek to declare a state drought emergency for the county. McClellan cited multi-year climate impacts and unusually low winter snowpack on Mount Hood: Timberline recorded 297 inches compared with a 409-inch average, and Mount Hood Meadows tracked 121 inches against a 332-inch average. He also reported only six inches of regional rainfall in 2026 to date.
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