News | Washington State Climate Office

Sep 10, 2026 | Climate Matters, Climate Variability, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations, September 2026 Newsletter

Climate Matters: How Might El Niño Affect Washington This Winter?

The past week’s cooler and wetter weather comes as a stark reminder that summer has begun to make room for fall here in the Pacific Northwest. With this seasonal shift, some of us are beginning to turn our attention to the upcoming winter, as a strong and potentially historic El Niño event continues to intensify in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Mar 9, 2026 | Climate Matters, Climate Variability, Flooding and Streamflow, March 2026 Newsletter, Rain and Snow

Climate Matters: Mountain Snowpack and Streamflow

With Washington’s statewide snowpack as of March 5th ranking as the 3rd lowest since modern records began in 1985, questions have been coming into WASCO regarding the potential impacts on spring and summer streamflow.

Oct 7, 2025 | Climate Matters, Climate Variability, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations, October 2025 Newsletter

Climate Matters: Haven’t there been a lot of La Niña winters lately?

Many regular readers of this column are aware of the effects of La Niña, and variations in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in general, on the overall weather of the Pacific Northwest during the cool season.

Aug 11, 2025 | August 2025 Newsletter, Climate Matters, Climate Variability, Extreme Heat, Temperature, Trends

Our Afternoon Heat Comes Later

Editor’s note (08/13/2025 4:30pm): Time of day was previously shown in standard time on the graphs below, in error. The graphs and text are now updated to Pacific Daylight Time.
One of the things I really appreciate about living here is how late it stays light out.

A landscape photo of Mt. Spokane State Park with a pink horizon and forested, dark ridges in the mid- and foreground.

Jun 6, 2025 | Climate Matters, Climate Review, Climate Variability, June 2025 Newsletter, Trends

Climatology of the Northeastern Washington Climate Division (#9)

In this edition of Climate Matters, we return to our Climate Division series in which we describe the local climate features in each of Washington’s 10 climate divisions, as defined by NOAA.

Apr 4, 2025 | April 2025 Newsletter, Climate Matters, Climate Review, Climate Variability, Drought and Soil Conditions

The Fifth Pacific Northwest Water Year 2024 Impacts Assessment

The fifth Pacific Northwest (PNW) Water Year Impacts Assessment, released in March, chronicles the water year, its impacts, and how people responded across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho during the 2024 water year (October 1, 2023-September 30, 2024).

Mar 10, 2025 | Climate Matters, Climate Variability, Rain and Snow, Seasonal, Trends

Has it seemed cold and snowy during February in recent years?

Some folks have been remarking on how often it has been cold and sometimes snowy in February during the past decade or so. In part this can probably be attributed to the just-completed February of 2025, which has been the snowiest month of the winter for much of the state, especially at lower elevations on both sides of the Cascade Mountains.

Feb 11, 2025 | Climate Matters, Climate Variability, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations

Detecting La Niña in a Changing Climate

Global oceans have been very warm since 2023
It is no secret that global Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) have been steadily increasing for decades (Fig. 1) due to climate change. Notably, conditions since 2023 have been considerably warmer (highlighted in yellow on Fig.

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.

Feb 6, 2023 | Climate Matters, Climate Variability, Rain and Snow, Seasonal

Winter Precipitation Variability in Washington State

The last few months have featured considerable fluctuations in precipitation across WA state relative to seasonal norms. While such fluctuations have certainly occurred in the past and will continue to be part of our climate, they serve as a good excuse for taking a quick look at some of the observed temporal and spatial variability in winter precipitation in WA state.