Climate Matters | Washington State Climate Office

Sep 6, 2019 | Climate Matters, Marine, Rain and Snow

Ocean Weather Ship Papa: A Precipitation Time-Series

Ocean Weather Ship (OWS) Papa (P) at 50°North, 145°West was occupied almost continuously from December 1949 to August 1981 by the Canadian Weathership Program (Figure 1). These ships collected high-quality meteorological and oceanographic data that represent valuable time series for a remote location in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

Aug 2, 2019 | Climate Matters, Climate Review

Climatology of WA’s NE Olympic-San Juan Climate Division (#2)

This is the second installment of the “Climate Divisions of WA” series, and we will focus on Climate Division 2 – the NE Olympic-San Juan Climate Division (Climate Division 1 is featured in the August 2018 edition of our newsletter).

Jul 12, 2019 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Flooding and Streamflow, Seasonal

Low Streamflows on the Skagit River in Early Summer 2019

The warm and dry spring of 2019 has raised concerns about water supplies in parts of WA state. It is unclear how much it is a coincidence, but the same topic was addressed in this space a year ago.

Jun 6, 2019 | Climate Matters, Extreme Heat, Humidity

Humidity Variation during Heat Waves in WA State

Summer is approaching, and while there will surely be some spells of hot weather, we cannot say much about their severity. Our most extreme heat waves tend to occur in July and August, but they certainly can occur earlier in summer and occasionally well into September.

Apr 3, 2019 | Climate Matters, Rain and Snow, Seasonal

Melting of the Cascade Mountain Snowpack in Spring

The date of 1 April is often considered the end of winter for the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Snow can continue to fall in the high country, of course, but the vast majority of the accumulation has generally occurred by that time of year.

Mar 11, 2019 | Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation Patterns, Climate Matters, Extreme Cold, Rain and Snow

Kona Storms and Winter Weather in WA State

As detailed here, the month of February 2019 will long be remembered for its snowy weather, especially in the lowlands of western Washington. We are not the only place that has experienced some unusual conditions – here we direct our attention to Hawaii, and in particular the “Kona” storm that slammed the state during the second week of the month.

Feb 6, 2019 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, Climate Review, Extreme Cold

What a Blast: The Arctic-Air Outbreak of February 1989

This edition of the OWSC newsletter more or less coincides with the 30th anniversary of the severe cold snap of early February 1989. Last month we reviewed the record warm anomalies that occurred in January 1953; perhaps it makes some sense to take a look at the other side of the coin.

Jan 4, 2019 | Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation Patterns, Climate Events, Climate Matters, Climate Review, Rain and Snow, Temperature

January 1953: Largest Positive Monthly Temperature Anomaly in WA State History

Considering statewide averages, what would constitute a large monthly anomaly in temperature? And would we expect to see the largest monthly anomaly in winter or summer? At OWSC, these are the sorts of questions that we ask ourselves as we begin a new calendar year.

Dec 4, 2018 | Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation Patterns, Climate Events, Climate Matters, Forecasts, Marine

The Return of Warm Water to the NE Pacific

The intense marine heat wave (MHW) of 2014-16 in the NE Pacific, aka the “Blob”, received a great deal of attention and deservedly so. When relatively warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) emerged in the Gulf of Alaska in late summer/early fall 2018, both those monitoring the North Pacific atmosphere ocean climate system, and the media, began speculating whether a new MHW might be developing.

Nov 8, 2018 | Climate Events, Climate Matters, El Niño/La Niña and Global Climate Oscillations, Flooding and Streamflow

El Niño Flooding: Flashback to November 2006

The “El Niño watch” issued by the Climate Prediction Center is still in effect, with the expectation that a weak or moderate El Niño will develop this winter. Appropriately, media reports have focused on the increased odds of a warmer and drier winter due to El Niño, with the warmer than usual temperatures being more likely to occur.