(Wines&Vines) - What a difference a year makes.

April 2015 saw the Roza Irrigation District decide to let the canals running through local vineyards run dry for 20 days last May (see “Northwest Growers Strategize to Face Drought”). The extraordinary step was in response to the state’s most severe drought emergency in a decade, a circumstance not in play this year as snowpacks remain within the normal range for the season.

The snow-water equivalent in most areas of Washington state are at least 80% of normal; in the Lower Yakima basin that’s home to the Roza, levels are 97%. On April 30, 2015, the snow water equivalent was just 19% of the average.

The latest U.S. drought monitor tells a similar story across the Northwest. In Washington, 96.7% of the state is free from drought versus 34.6% a year ago. Conditions in Idaho echo those of Washington, with 92% of the state free from drought versus 30.5% a year ago.

Oregon continues to see drought conditions east of the Cascade Range, accounting for 53% of the state; but a year ago, 85.6% of the state was droughty, with viticultural areas in the southern part of the state more affected than growers in the Willamette.

Oregon continues to dry out from the record precipitation that struck the northern Willamette this past winter, a fact that’s kept concerns about drought somewhat at bay.