Climate Matters | Washington State Climate Office

Aug 6, 2020 | Climate Matters, Seasonal, Severe Weather

Thunderstorms in WA during the Summers of 1990-2019

Summers have been gradually getting warmer and more humid in WA state, with plenty of variability, but has that been accompanied by a tendency for more thunderstorms? We don’t get many thunderstorms compared to elsewhere in the US, especially east of the Continental Divide.

Jul 8, 2020 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Climate Review

Top 10 Weather and Climate Events of 2019

In a reprise of previous lists of this sort, here we review the top weather and climate events in WA state for the year of 2019. To be sure, we are halfway through 2020, but hopefully these events are not yet into the dustbin of history and their mention here will bring back some memories, fond or otherwise.

Jun 5, 2020 | Climate Matters, Seasonal, Temperature

Springtime Stream Temperatures in Washington

We have used this space to discuss ocean temperatures a number of times in recent years. Here, we will again consider water temperatures, but in this case for Washington State rivers, with a focus on the spring season.

Apr 3, 2020 | Air Quality and Wildfire, Climate Events, Climate Matters

Sheltering in Place – Does it Impact Air Quality?

We have all noticed marked changes in activities due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One obvious one is the scarcity of aircraft overhead, as indicated by Alaska Airlines planning to reduce its flights by 70% for April and May (Seattle Times, 26 March 2020).

Mar 6, 2020 | Climate Matters, Forecasts

3 and 4-week 500 hPa Geopotential Height Predictions for WA

As presented previously in this newsletter, filling the gap between deterministic weather forecasts out about 10 days and probabilistic predictions on seasonal (multi-month) time scales is an active area of research for the meteorological community.

Feb 6, 2020 | Climate Matters, Flooding and Streamflow

Timing of Major Floods on 6 Rivers in WA State

The dry weather of autumn 2019 in an overall sense resulted in relatively low streamflows throughout most of WA state, but that story has changed drastically since late December. Since then there have been several periods of above normal streamflows with a number of rivers spilling over their banks.

Jan 7, 2020 | Climate Matters, Rain and Snow

Snow Depth versus Snow Water Equivalent in the Cascades of Washington State

Winter has arrived in earnest and the snow is finally starting to pile up in the mountains of Washington state. There are two principal measures of the snowpack: snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE).

Dec 5, 2019 | Climate Matters, Seasonal, Temperature

Localized Variations in Winter Minimum Temperatures

Recent cold overnight temperatures during Thanksgiving weekend 2019 have illustrated the variability from place to place that can emerge this time of year. There are many locations in WA state in which observing stations are not that far apart, but minimum temperatures vary substantially, particularly on clear, cold nights.

Nov 8, 2019 | Climate Matters, Seasonal, Temperature, Winds

Easterly Flow in the Passes of the Washington Cascades

The Summit at Snoqualmie Pass has the lowest base elevation (2,840’) of any ski resort in the western US. Given its low elevation and proximity to the Pacific Ocean and hence maritime air masses – the mean 850 hPa flow during winter is from the southwest at about 5 m/s – how is it cold enough to stay in business?

Oct 15, 2019 | Climate Matters, Humidity, Seasonal, Temperature

The Warm Nights of Summer 2019

The summer of 2019 included very near-normal daytime temperatures for Washington state. The mean maximum temperature anomaly for the state as a whole for the months of June through August was 0.3°F (relative to 1981-2010).