Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington
Geographic region
	Nickname: Eastside
Country	United States
State	Washington
Area
• Total	46,620 sq mi (120,700 km2)
Highest elevation (Mount Adams)	12,276 ft (3,742 m)
Lowest elevation (Columbia River at White Salmon; ~80)	79 ft (24 m)
Population (2019)	1,641,900

Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the Palouse. Unlike in Western Washington, the climate is dry, including some desert environments.

Climate

A significant difference between Eastern Washington and the western half of the state is its climate. While the west half of the state is located in a rainy oceanic climate, the eastern half receives little rainfall due to the rainshadow created by the Cascade Mountains. Also, due to being farther from the sea, the east side has both hotter summers and colder winters than the west. Most communities in Eastern Washington, for example, have significant yearly snowfall, while in the west snowfall is minimal and not seen every year. The east and west do still have some climatic traits in common, though: more rainfall in winter than summer, a lack of severe storms, and milder temperature ranges than more inland locations.

There is some variation in both temperature and rainfall throughout Eastern Washington. Generally, lower elevations are both hotter and drier than higher elevations. This is easily seen in the comparison between low-elevation Richland with higher elevation Spokane.

Climate data for Tri-Cities, Washington (combined average of 3 cities)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	74 (23)	74 (23)	87 (31)	95 (35)	105 (41)	111 (44)	115 (46)	115 (46)	106 (41)	89 (32)	79 (26)	71 (22)	115 (46)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	58.3 (14.6)	62.6 (17.0)	72.7 (22.6)	83.4 (28.6)	93.0 (33.9)	99.7 (37.6)	105.7 (40.9)	102.7 (39.3)	93.8 (34.3)	80.8 (27.1)	68.3 (20.2)	59.6 (15.3)	106.4 (41.3)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	41.1 (5.1)	48.8 (9.3)	58.5 (14.7)	66.5 (19.2)	75.2 (24.0)	82.4 (28.0)	91.0 (32.8)	89.7 (32.1)	80.3 (26.8)	66.4 (19.1)	50.5 (10.3)	41.2 (5.1)	66.1 (18.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	27.7 (−2.4)	30.2 (−1.0)	35.1 (1.7)	40.0 (4.4)	47.8 (8.8)	54.4 (12.4)	59.4 (15.2)	58.4 (14.7)	49.9 (9.9)	40.6 (4.8)	33.6 (0.9)	28.1 (−2.2)	42.2 (5.7)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	8.5 (−13.1)	14.4 (−9.8)	21.5 (−5.8)	25.7 (−3.5)	32.2 (0.1)	41.8 (5.4)	47.0 (8.3)	45.5 (7.5)	35.2 (1.8)	24.0 (−4.4)	16.6 (−8.6)	9.3 (−12.6)	3.4 (−15.9)
Record low °F (°C)	−27 (−33)	−23 (−31)	10 (−12)	18 (−8)	26 (−3)	35 (2)	38 (3)	37 (3)	21 (−6)	9 (−13)	−12 (−24)	−22 (−30)	−27 (−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	1.00 (25)	0.66 (17)	0.63 (16)	0.48 (12)	0.63 (16)	0.57 (14)	0.17 (4.3)	0.22 (5.6)	0.31 (7.9)	0.56 (14)	0.90 (23)	1.08 (27)	7.24 (184)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	3.2 (8.1)	1.6 (4.1)	0.2 (0.51)	trace	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	trace	1.5 (3.8)	2.2 (5.6)	8.5 (22)
Source 1: WRCC^[1]^[2]
Source 2: NOAA^[3]

Climate data for Spokane (combined average of 3 stations)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	62 (17)	64 (18)	75 (24)	90 (32)	97 (36)	108 (42)	112 (44)	112 (44)	102 (39)	87 (31)	70 (21)	63 (17)	112 (44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	51.5 (10.8)	54.3 (12.4)	64.9 (18.3)	76.2 (24.6)	86.6 (30.3)	93.5 (34.2)	100.3 (37.9)	99.2 (37.3)	90.6 (32.6)	76.6 (24.8)	59.6 (15.3)	51.6 (10.9)	101.9 (38.8)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	35.3 (1.8)	41.5 (5.3)	49.8 (9.9)	58.5 (14.7)	67.9 (19.9)	75.3 (24.1)	85.4 (29.7)	84.3 (29.1)	74.3 (23.5)	59.5 (15.3)	43.5 (6.4)	35.3 (1.8)	59.2 (15.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	24.9 (−3.9)	27.5 (−2.5)	31.5 (−0.3)	36.6 (2.6)	43.8 (6.6)	50.6 (10.3)	56.2 (13.4)	55.1 (12.8)	47.1 (8.4)	37.8 (3.2)	30.6 (−0.8)	25.1 (−3.8)	38.9 (3.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	0.7 (−17.4)	7.0 (−13.9)	17.8 (−7.9)	26.8 (−2.9)	32.0 (0.0)	40.2 (4.6)	45.5 (7.5)	44.2 (6.8)	34.5 (1.4)	25.3 (−3.7)	15.1 (−9.4)	5.82 (−14.54)	−6.4 (−21.3)
Record low °F (°C)	−30 (−34)	−24 (−31)	−10 (−23)	14 (−10)	24 (−4)	33 (1)	37 (3)	30 (−1)	22 (−6)	7 (−14)	−13 (−25)	−25 (−32)	−30 (−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	1.98 (50)	1.37 (35)	1.69 (43)	1.25 (32)	1.55 (39)	1.41 (36)	0.53 (13)	0.63 (16)	0.71 (18)	1.14 (29)	2.13 (54)	2.40 (61)	16.81 (427)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	9.9 (25)	4.1 (10)	1.8 (4.6)	0.5 (1.3)	trace	trace	trace	0.0 (0.0)	trace	0.1 (0.25)	4.2 (11)	12.7 (32)	33.2 (84)
Source 1: WRCC^[4]^[5]
Source 2: NOAA^[6]

Geography

Nomenclature

Other terms used for Eastern Washington or large parts of it include:

Columbia Basin
Eastside or east side of the state^[7]^[8]^[9]
Inland Empire/Inland Northwest (also includes the Idaho Panhandle)

Cities

The following cities and towns in Eastern Washington have over 10,000 inhabitants.^[10]

Spokane (pop. 217,300)
Spokane Valley (pop. 94,919)
Yakima (pop. 93,701)
Kennewick (pop. 80,280)
Pasco (pop. 71,680)
Richland (pop. 54,150)
Wenatchee (pop. 34,070)
Walla Walla (pop. 33,840)
Pullman (pop. 33,280)
Moses Lake (pop. 22,720)
Ellensburg (pop. 19,550)
Sunnyside (pop. 16,640)
West Richland (pop. 14,660)
East Wenatchee (pop. 13,600)
Liberty Lake (pop. 12,003)
Cheney (pop. 11,880)
Grandview (pop. 11,170)
Airway Heights (pop. 10,757)

Protected areas

Counties

Eastern Washington is composed of Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima counties. Some definitions also include part of Skamania County that lies east of the ridge line of the Cascade Mountains.^[11]

Population

Compared to Western Washington, Eastern Washington has roughly twice the land area and one-fifth the population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the population estimate as of July 2019 was 1,641,900. The population growth rate between the two is roughly the same. Of Washington's ten Congressional districts, Eastern Washington exactly encompasses two (the 4th and 5th), aside from a small portion of the 3rd in Skamania County.

Education

Eastern Washington hosts a number of universities including three of the state's five public universities.

Public institutions

Central Washington University
Eastern Washington University
Washington State University
A number of local community colleges including:

Private institutions

Research institutions

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University

Proposed statehood

There have been sporadic movements to create a 51st state out of Eastern Washington by splitting the current state down the Cascades, but proposals have rarely progressed out of the state legislature's committees. Bills in the Washington State Legislature which would have requested the United States Congress to take up the question were proposed in 1996, 1999, 2005, and 2017.^[12] Proposed names for the new state have included Lincoln, Columbia, Liberty,^[13] or simply Eastern Washington. Many of these proposals would include the Idaho Panhandle as part of the proposed state of Lincoln.

Eastern Washington tends to vote Republican, whereas Western Washington usually votes Democratic. However, Spokane, the proposed capital and largest city, tends to have a higher democratic vote than other Eastern Washington cities. Additionally, Whitman County votes Democratic.

Images

The Palouse Hills of southeastern Washington
Dry Falls in the semi-desert Channeled Scablands that dominate much of eastern Washington.
Truck transport going east on Highway 2, near Waterville
Apple orchards in Azwell, Washington surrounding a community of pickers' cabins