News | Washington State Climate Office

May 2, 2014 | Climate Matters, Rain and Snow

Extreme Precipitation Events in Washington State

There has been a slight upward trend in mean precipitation for Washington state over the last century or so, but this change is marginal from the standpoint of statistical significance. Readers are encouraged to explore this for themselves using an application on the OWSC website: www.climate.washington.edu/trendanalysis.

Apr 22, 2014 | Climate Events

A Review of Winter 2013-2014

The predictions for the winter of 2013-14 included little consensus among the seasonal forecast models in August and September, but were hinting at dry winter conditions by October 2013. However, neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions were projected for the upcoming winter, resulting in a lack of a strong statistical signal toward below or above average temperature or precipitation anomalies for the winter as a whole.

Mar 10, 2014 | Climate Matters, Forecasts

The Quality of CFS Seasonal Winter Predictions for the Pacific Northwest

Seasonal weather predictions are based increasingly on global climate model output. They have been evaluated for the tropical Pacific and other very large (continental scale) regions, but less is known about the quality of these predictions for specific regions such as the Pacific Northwest.

Mar 5, 2014 | Climate Events

Recent Precipitation near the Oso Landslide

A landslide occurred on Saturday, March 22 east of Oso, WA in Snohomish County that resulted in a tragic loss of life. At least a contributing factor related to this landslide was the anomalously heavy rainfall that occurred at the location during February and March 2014.

Feb 5, 2014 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Climate Review

Review of 2013: Climatic Averages and the Top 6 Weather and Climate Events

With 2013 now in the books, we would like to review the year from a weather and climate perspective. First, the Washington State average temperature and precipitation during 2013 are presented, along with a comparison of this year to other years.

Jan 3, 2014 | Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations

The Arctic Oscillation and Pacific Northwest Weather

The Arctic Oscillation (AO), also known as the Northern Annular Mode (NAM), is an important element of the variability in the weather and climate of the Northern Hemisphere. It relates fundamentally to the state of the flow at northern latitudes, with the positive phase associated with a strong, axisymmetric polar vortex and the negative phase associated with a weak polar vortex, allowing for more prominent large-scale ridges and troughs for the whole hemisphere.

Dec 3, 2013 | Climate Matters, Drought and Soil Conditions

Causes and Examples of Landslides in WA

Much of Washington state features steep terrain and unconsolidated soils, which means that landslides are a regular part of the landscape. And since many of these slides are associated with heavy rainfall, they occur more often in the winter, with plenty of exceptions.

Nov 4, 2013 | Climate Change Report, Climate Matters

The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has produced a series of reviews of the state of the global climate and its expected changes. Portions of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) from the IPCC have been made available recently.

Oct 2, 2013 | Climate Matters, Clouds and Fog, Seasonal

Early Autumn Fog in WA

Fog may not seem that dramatic of an element of the weather, but it can actually be a big deal and certainly represent a challenge for forecasters. An obvious impact of fog is on aircraft operations.

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.