News | Washington State Climate Office

Oct 4, 2011 | Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations

Back-to-Back La Niña and the Weather of the PNW

There are increasing indications that La Niña conditions will be present in the tropical Pacific during the upcoming winter. As most of the readers of this newsletter are aware, this is right on the heels of a La Niña event during the previous winter and spring of 2010-11.

Sep 2, 2011 | Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations

On the Recent Cool Temperatures in WA State

It is widely appreciated that relatively cool weather has plagued, or blessed, depending on your point of view, Washington State since the end of February 2011 as illustrated in the temperature time series for Seattle and Spokane (Figure 1).

Oct 5, 2010 | Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations

La Niña and the Weather of WA State

The weather of the Pacific Northwest during the coming months, or otherwise known as the cool season, is impacted by the atmosphere-ocean system of the tropical Pacific. This region is currently experiencing what is termed La Nina, and this condition is expected to persist into 2011.

May 6, 2010 | Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and the Weather of Washington State

The weather of the tropics on time scales of weeks to a couple of months is related to a phenomenon known as the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The MJO modulates the distribution of deep cumulus convection, and the attendant atmospheric circulation on scales of thousands of kilometers in a band along the equator.