Pacific Northwest 2024 Water Year Impacts Assessment Released
Extreme Heat, Snowpack Variability, and Drought Response Highlighted in Annual Report
The fifth Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment, released today, presents a detailed examination of seasonal climate conditions across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho for the 2024 water year (October 1, 2023–September 30, 2024).
Late March 2025 Climate Outlook
What’s Next for the Pacific Northwest?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Weak La Niña conditions are expected to transition to neutral conditions in the next month.
La Niña conditions continue to weaken driven in large part by warming sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Tropical Pacific.
Has it seemed cold and snowy during February in recent years?
Some folks have been remarking on how often it has been cold and sometimes snowy in February during the past decade or so. In part this can probably be attributed to the just-completed February of 2025, which has been the snowiest month of the winter for much of the state, especially at lower elevations on both sides of the Cascade Mountains.
Read moreFebruary 2025 Climate Outlook
What’s Next for the Pacific Northwest?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Our weak La Niña persists this February.
La Niña conditions are still present according to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are running -0.6°C below normal in the Niño 3.4 region, which is an important indicator region for determining ENSO phases.
Detecting La Niña in a Changing Climate
Global oceans have been very warm since 2023
It is no secret that global Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) have been steadily increasing for decades (Fig. 1) due to climate change. Notably, conditions since 2023 have been considerably warmer (highlighted in yellow on Fig.
Washington State Climate Office Launches New Website, Advancing Strategic Goals
The Washington State Climate Office (WASCO) has officially launched a new website and introduced an updated visual identity, marking a significant step forward in the Office’s ongoing evolution. This milestone comes nearly a year after the release of WASCO’s strategic plan and demonstrates a continued commitment to expanding climate services, strengthening science communication and community engagement, and supporting informed decision-making in the pursuit of state-wide and regional climate resilience using historical climate data and seasonal forecasts.
Read moreJanuary 2025 Climate Outlook
What’s Next for the Pacific Northwest?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): La Niña is here!
On January 9, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issued a “La Niña Advisory” due to La Niña being present in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Rain on Snow
This is the time of year when it’s not just the climate geeks who are following what’s happening with our mountain snowpack. A range of audiences from winter sports enthusiasts to water managers are interested.
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Winter Wind Chill Temperatures in WA State
Regular readers of our newsletter are quite familiar with the usual temperature and precipitation patterns across Washington state during winter. On the regional scale there are notable differences between the maritime conditions prevailing west of the Cascades, and the more continental conditions on the east side.
Read moreTalking about climate and weather with the Office of the Washington State Climatologist
From its base at the southwest corner of the Seattle campus, the Office of the Washington State Climatologist provides expertise, tools and resources on “all things climate” to partners and communities across the state.
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