Our monthly newsletter features a Climate Matters article, detailing a specific aspect of Washington’s weather and climate. These articles are archived here and categorized by topic area and date.
Clouds 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).
Read moreCold Season Thunderstorms in WA State
A previous newsletter (Aug 2010) included a piece on why thunderstorms are rare in WA State when compared to other parts of the country. Thunderstorms are revisited here, with a focus on their occurrence during the cold season.
Read moreWinter Preview: What Can We Expect?
As many of our readers are likely well aware, there is a high likelihood (between 60 and 65% chance) of a weak El Niño developing during the fall and winter. Sea-surface temperature anomalies are above normal throughout the equatorial Pacific Ocean at the time of this writing (more information in the Climate Outlook below), but the predicted El Niño has been slow to start.
Read moreGrowing Hops in Washington State
Due to the passage of I-502 by Washington state voters in November 2012, legal agricultural production has commenced for a notorious member of the family Cannabacaeae. This highlight is about another member of this family that WA state is known for and that is hops (Humulus lupulus).
Read moreSkill in ENSO Model Prediction
We have previously discussed the skill of seasonal weather predictions for winter in this newsletter (March 2014 edition). One of the most important sources of information for these seasonal forecasts is the future state of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Read moreThe Precipitation Winners and Losers in Major League Baseball
Seattle’s rainy reputation is difficult to combat, especially among those that have never lived in the Pacific Northwest. The dry Washington summers are often overlooked. In that context, OWSC was pleased to have recently heard a “rumor” that during the regular baseball season, Seattle is one of the driest cities of those that have a Major League Baseball team.
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The Blob: Warm Water off the Coast of the PNW and What it May Mean for Our Summer Weather
The Pacific Northwest experienced a period of seasonally quiet and dry weather from October 2013 into February 2014. This period also featured anomalously weak cooling of the upper ocean off our coast for the time of year.
Read moreExtreme 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.
Read moreThe 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.
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