December 8-11, 2025 Heavy Rainfall and Flooding: Historical Context and a Note on Snow Drought
Event recap
Major flooding impacted western Washington and the eastern Cascades last month. Impacts included numerous washouts and landslides on roadways including a weeks-long shutdown of US-2 and lane closures on I-90.
Early January Climate Outlook
Key Messages
La Niña conditions remain in place, with a 75% chance of neutral conditions by January-March. El Niño conditions are becoming more likely in the extended outlook, with nearly equal chances of neutral or El Niño conditions for the June-August period and minimal chances of La Niña persisting.
Read moreDecember 2025 Climate Summary
Key Messages:
Averaged statewide, December 2025 was the warmest December on record. January -December 2025 is tied with 1934 as the second warmest year on record in Washington.
Averaged statewide, December ranked as the 5th wettest December on record, with most portions of the state receiving much above normal precipitation.
Read moreDecember 2025 Snowpack and Drought Summary
Key Messages:
Precipitation for the current water year is well-above normal, but not enough to overcome multi-year deficits.
Snowpack remains below normal in the central and southern Cascades, Olympics, Blue Mountains, and the northeastern WA Rockies.
Read moreDecember Notable Weather Events
Key Messages:
A warm atmospheric river event from December 8-11 brought widespread flooding to both western Washington and the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Read more in this article and in this Month’s Climate Matters.
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