In November, we reported on the fact that more than 50% of the state of Oregon was in “severe,” “extreme,” or “exceptional” drought.

This story has barely been mentioned in statewide media.

For the past month, data has been unavailable as the Drought.gov website was offline during the government shutdown.

Now that the site is back online, data shows that nearly 80% of the state is now in “severe” drought condition or worse.

Global warming is hammering the planet.

It has been a “rainless winter,” an extraordinary condition for the Pacific Northwest. This does not bode well. We face an extraordinary fire season, water shortages, and other major issues this summer if major sustained rains do not come.

Our post from November: