News | Washington State Climate Office

Dec 6, 2023 | Climate Matters, Ecology, Temperature

Plant Hardiness Zones for Washington State

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released a new plant hardiness zone map (PHZM). The zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during the years of 1991 through 2020.

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).

Jan 12, 2022 | Climate Matters, Ecology

How Do Plants Affect the Climate?

Washington – or at least, those parts of it not situated in rain shadows – is known for its greenery hence the nickname of the “Evergreen State”. The pervasive rain and mild temperatures allow plants to thrive during the rainy season.

Mar 8, 2016 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Ecology, Marine

High Mortality of Cassin’s Auklets in the Pacific NW during the Winter of 2014-15

The waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest have been unusually warm during the last couple of years, and this has had widespread and major impacts on the marine ecosystem.

Sep 4, 2014 | Climate Matters, Ecology

Growing Hops in Washington State

Due to the passage of I-502 by Washington state voters in November 2012, legal agricultural production has commenced for a notorious member of the family Cannabacaeae. This highlight is about another member of this family that WA state is known for and that is hops (Humulus lupulus).

Sep 9, 2013 | Climate Matters, Ecology, Marine

JISAO’s Seasonal Coastal Ocean Prediction of the Ecosystem (J-SCOPE)

A coastal ocean prediction system, named J-SCOPE, has been recently developed for the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. J-SCOPE has been designed to provide quantitative forecasts of physical, chemical and biological ocean properties on time horizons of up to 9 months.

Mar 5, 2012 | Climate Matters, Ecology

Plant Hardiness Zones for WA State

The US Department of Agriculture has recently posted new plant hardiness information; a map for WA state is reproduced here (Figure 1) and can be found at the following website: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/.