Climate Events | Washington State Climate Office

Aug 9, 2023 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Climate Variability, Flooding and Streamflow

Whipsaws in Washington State Streamflows

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, we would first like to point out that we have been experiencing unusually dry weather in Washington state. A map of the precipitation during May through July 2023 expressed as a percent of normal.

Jan 10, 2023 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Extreme Cold, Rain and Snow

Freezing Rain in Washington State

Most everyone in the Puget Sound region on 23 December 2022 must have been impressed by the freezing rain that occurred that day. This event featured extremely slippery roadways and outside walkways; at least no one we have spoken with recalls a time when it was more treacherous to get around.

Nov 8, 2022 | Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation Patterns, Climate Events, Climate Matters, Seasonal

The Near Endless Summer of 2022

After a very wet and cool spring, the Pacific Northwest had an unusually long stretch of warm and dry weather in 2022. The lack of rain was especially pronounced in western Washington, with many locations recording record low totals for the months of July through September.

Jun 8, 2022 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Ecology, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations, Marine

Cool Waters off the Coast of the PNW and in the Puget Sound

We have enjoyed a cool spring in WA state and perhaps it is no surprise that regional ocean temperatures are also on the cool side. A sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly map for a 7- day period near the end of May 2022 (Figure 1) shows negative anomalies off the coast of the Pacific NW, and in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (more about the latter below).

May 6, 2021 | Climate Events

A Review of Winter 2020-21

As we head toward warmer temperatures, this is the time of year where we like to look back and review the WA state winter conditions. A moderate La Niña event developed early in fall of 2020, and the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) seasonal forecasts were calling for warmer and wetter than normal conditions for WA for the fall months.

Oct 7, 2020 | Air Quality and Wildfire, Climate Events, Climate Matters, Temperature

Cooler Temperatures from the Smoke of September

The thick smoke that blanketed much of WA state during a stretch of days in September 2020 is apt to be long remembered. A visible satellite image from the morning of 12 September (Fig.

Jul 8, 2020 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Climate Review

Top 10 Weather and Climate Events of 2019

In a reprise of previous lists of this sort, here we review the top weather and climate events in WA state for the year of 2019. To be sure, we are halfway through 2020, but hopefully these events are not yet into the dustbin of history and their mention here will bring back some memories, fond or otherwise.

Apr 28, 2020 | Climate Events

A Review of Winter 2019-2020

In the fall of 2019, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – one of the more reliable sources of seasonal predictability for the climate system – was expected to remain near-neutral and thus not a large consideration for our upcoming winter in Washington.

Apr 3, 2020 | Air Quality and Wildfire, Climate Events, Climate Matters

Sheltering in Place – Does it Impact Air Quality?

We have all noticed marked changes in activities due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One obvious one is the scarcity of aircraft overhead, as indicated by Alaska Airlines planning to reduce its flights by 70% for April and May (Seattle Times, 26 March 2020).

Jul 12, 2019 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Flooding and Streamflow, Seasonal

Low Streamflows on the Skagit River in Early Summer 2019

The warm and dry spring of 2019 has raised concerns about water supplies in parts of WA state. It is unclear how much it is a coincidence, but the same topic was addressed in this space a year ago.