The blue triangles indicate above average precipitation.
credit:
Jim Johnstone, JISAO-University of Washington
This is the second year of La Niña conditions. Last year saw above average flow volumes in all the major rivers in the region.
Between April and June temperatures were the coldest they’ve been in over a century with precipitation levels 50 percent above normal.
Researchers at the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington say the odds are the La Niña weather pattern this year will be weaker than last year but we could still see snow at lower elevations and more flooding and windstorms than during normal years in the Pacific Northwest.
Nathan Mantua, director of the Climate Impacts Group, says it should be a good water year - that means above average flows and snowfall - which is great news for fish, hydropower producers and people who like snow sports.
“La Niña is pretty friendly to things that are important for a lot of people in the Northwest but if you like the sunshine during winter, this is not good news.” Mantua says, “This is likely to make it a cloudier and stormier winter than average and that’s the trade-off.”
In case you had any doubts about picking up skiing this year, check out this awesome video by Dave Tragethon, featuring George Taylor’s “La Niña” song:
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