Three Flavors of Drought in the PNW
With the topic of drought the focus of numerous local and national news stories of late – whether it’s the current Pacific Northwest (PNW) drought, the devastating multiyear California drought, or the torrential, drought-ending rains in Oklahoma and Texas – it is a good time to review a paper published in 2010 by current and former OWSC staff on different “flavors” of drought in the PNW.
Read moreExtreme Precipitation Events in Washington State during the month of May
One year ago (May 2014), this newsletter included a piece on the historical record of extreme short-term precipitation events in Washington state, with a focus on whether there were any noticeable trends in the frequency and intensity of these event.
Read moreA Review of Winter 2014-2015
The summer and fall 2014 predictions for the winter of 2014-15 were favoring warm and dry conditions for WA State based mostly on the expectation of moderate El Niño development. The El Niño was late to develop, so how did the winter play out?
Read moreWashington State Drought 2015
Narrative updated 5/15/15
Reports updated weekly through Sept 24, 2015
A record warm rainy season (October through March) in WA State has caused the majority of our precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow in the mountains.
March Snowfall in the Lowlands of Washington State
The subject of this piece may be cruelly ironic, given the lack of much cold weather and snow during this winter. On the other hand, perhaps some of the material here will represent a sort of comfort somewhat akin to that sought by fans of the Chicago Cubs.
Read moreClimatic Averages and the Top Weather and Climate Events of 2014
With over a month of the New Year already behind us, we would like to review 2014 from a weather and climate perspective. Globally, 2014 ranked as the warmest year on record, but how did it stack up for Washington State?
Read moreTop Weather and Climate Events of 2014
With over a month of the New Year already behind us, we would like to review 2014 from a weather and climate perspective. Globally, 2014 ranked as the warmest year on record, but how did it stack up for Washington State?
Read moreHeavy Rain on January 4-5
Very heavy rain fell in western WA State on 4-5 January 2015. The 24-hour precipitation totals for the Pacific Northwest from 4 am (12 UTC) Sunday 4 Jan through 4 am Monday 5 Jan from NOAA are shown in Figure 1.
Read moreClouds in Washington State in Winter
Judy Garland was quoted to have said, “Behind every cloud is another cloud”. The residents of Washington state can appreciate that statement during winter. A map of the mean number of cloudy days in January for the US is shown in Figure 1, and indeed the Pacific Northwest is the cloudiest part of the country, with only a few regions around the Great Lakes reaching the values observed across Washington, Oregon and much of Idaho.
Read morePrecipitation along the West Coast: California versus Washington
California is desperate for water. Precipitation totals in the Golden State have generally been sub-par since the late 1990s, with last winter being especially extreme (the third driest in the record extending back to 1896).
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