May 2025 Climate Summary
May was another dry month for nearly all portions of the state and ranked as the 26th driest May statewide since 1895. On the heels of dry and warm conditions in April, concerns continue to grow for worsening drought conditions as we head into summer 2025.
Read moreLate May Climate Outlook
What’s Next for the Pacific Northwest?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
ENSO-neutral conditions likely continue through summer
ENSO-neutral conditions continue in the Tropical Pacific. Neutral conditions are expected to continue most likely through the summer according to ENSO models.
April 2025 Climate Summary
April was a dry and warm month for nearly all portions of the state. Statewide, precipitation was 1.41″ below our 1991-2020 average April precipitation. April 2025 also ranked as the 30th driest April since 1895.
Read moreEarly May Climate Outlook
ENSO-neutral conditions are in place according to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Neutral conditions will likely continue through the summer with a 50% chance that neutral conditions persist through August-October 2025.
Read moreApril 2025 Snowpack and Drought Summary
Spring melt began in earnest this month. Snowpack has fallen further behind our typical 1991-2020 totals as of May 1, 2025, largely as a result of dry conditions, warmer than normal temperatures, and earlier than usual melt.
Read more
Trends in the Timing of Spring Across Washington
There are a truly dizzying number of ways to measure the start of spring: Is it when lilacs start blooming and grapevines begin to leaf out? Or is it that first warm day of the season when local parks fill up?
Read moreApril 2025 Notable Weather Events
April 2025 featured above average temperatures and below average precipitation. The bulk of this month’s rainfall fell from April 6-10 as an active weather pattern impacted primarily western Washington and the Pacific Coast.
Read moreLate April 2025 Climate Outlook
What’s Next for the Pacific Northwest?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
ENSO-neutral conditions have officially returned and are likely to continue through summer.
Sea surface temperatures in the Tropical Pacific continued to warm throughout March and have returned to near-normal.
WA faces drought emergency for a third year after middling snowpack
Washington is once more under a drought emergency, state officials announced Tuesday, marking the third such declaration in as many years and underscoring the damage wrought by year-after-year droughts.
Droughts here can take on a variety of “flavors,” said Karin Bumbaco, deputy state climatologist.
March 2025 Climate Summary
Precipitation anomalies were largely above normal across the state this March. The largest wet anomalies were across the Olympic Peninsula, the western side of the Cascades and near Mt. Baker, the Columbia Gorge, and across portions of far northern and northeastern Washington.
Read more