News | Washington State Climate Office

Mar 6, 2018 | Climate Matters, Extreme Cold, Seasonal

Late Cold during Winters in Washington State

As reported above, the last 2 weeks of February were quite chilly, with numerous locations setting all-time lows for the date on the 23rd. Many places have had their coldest temperatures of this winter in late February, even though the nights are noticeably shorter than in December and January.

Feb 6, 2018 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations, Rain and Snow

Wettest Month in State History – December 1933

In three previous newsletters we’ve reviewed the warmest (July 1985), coldest (January 1950), and driest (July 1960) months over the last 100 years for WA State. Here we complete the series with a look back at the wettest month in WA State history dating back to when modern records began in the 1890s: December 1933.

Jan 5, 2018 | Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation Patterns, Climate Matters, Seasonal

Regional Circulation Patterns and Temperatures in Winter

It is perhaps belaboring the obvious, but temperatures have increased in WA over the last 50-100 years. From the perspective of extremes, our colder winter months, relative to climatological norms, are not as anomalous as in past decades, and our much warmer than usual months are occurring more frequently.

Dec 5, 2017 | Climate Matters, Seasonal, Trends

Is Winter Coming Later to Washington State?

The Office of the Washington State Climatologist sometimes receives questions about whether the timing of the seasons has shifted. Ken Kunkel and collaborators have examined how the length of the growing season has changed across the lower 48 states, and others have documented the changes from a regional perspective (e.g., Abatzoglou et al., 2014 and the Climate Impacts Group).

Nov 3, 2017 | Climate Matters, Climate Review

Two Online Applications for the UW Climate Community

There are all kinds of options for gathering and plotting historical weather data online. Regular consumers of this kind of data are liable to have their favorite sources and in this regard, familiarity comforts (rather than breeds contempt, as the saying goes).

Oct 5, 2017 | Air Quality and Wildfire, Climate Matters

Western WA Summer Smoke and Air Quality

The past summer has been quite remarkable in the Pacific Northwest. Averaged over WA State, the June through August average temperatures ranked as the 4th warmest in the historical record with temperatures 2.6°F above the 1981-2010 normal.

Sep 7, 2017 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Clouds and Fog, Temperature

On the “Great American Solar Eclipse”

While not a meteorological phenomenon, the historic “Great American Solar Eclipse” passed over the US on August 21, offering a view of at least a partial solar eclipse for the entire country, and deserves mention in this newsletter.

Aug 7, 2017 | Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations, Seasonal

Prediction of Mean Summer Temperatures in Washington State

Recent work at OWSC has led us to ponder just how predictable summer mean temperatures are in Washington state. We constructed a simple model for a workshop on El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the seasonal weather of the western US with this question in mind.

Jul 7, 2017 | Climate Matters, Extreme Heat

The Warmest Time of the Year in Washington State

We have made it through the month of June and so now we can expect generally warmer weather in Washington state. Most everybody who has lived here longer than a year or two appreciates that this is the case, but perhaps it is not obvious why.

Jun 13, 2017 | Climate Matters, Rain and Snow, Seasonal

Are Springs Becoming Rainier in Washington State?

It has been a wet spring in Washington state. The second half of May 2017 has actually been dry but that does not really make up for the drenching from March through mid-May.