So we are going to continue to monitor conditions going forward. "The last two seasons have been a good reminder that spring can really change the drought outlook. She says that people in her field tend to focus on April 1 when it comes to rain and snowpack, but they're learning that Northwest springs can also highly influence conditions in the months ahead. The same period in 2021 was almost the exact opposite, with record warm and dry conditions resulting in drought later in the season. April through June of 2022 was wetter and colder than normal. The levels indicate how much water is being stored (as ice) in the mountains going into the drier summer months.īumbaco notes that the last two springs have really been unusual in the Pacific Northwest. Monitoring snowpack levels is important for state officials and residents. This is why, according to Ecology, "Lurking beneath the snowpack are soil-moisture deficits resulting from a dry spring and summer." The fact that the Eastern United States got much of the Pacific Northwest's rain in late 2022 could explain some of this. It only brought colder temps, however, and the rain didn't show up as much as expected. The La Niña that ended in March was expected to bring colder and wetter conditions. But the Blue Mountains in southeast Washington are around 120% of average.īumbaco's statements echo an assessment from Washington's Department of Ecology. The west slopes of the Cascades in Whatcom County are averaging 75%–85% of normal. So we've had below-normal precipitation, but because our temperatures have been so cold, we've been able to build snowpack in the mountains."īumbaco said there are variations in levels around the state. But then again, since January 1, we've been on the dry side. "So thinking back to last summer, where we were really dry we were dry starting the year out in the fall, saw some good precipitation in late fall. "If you actually look at precipitation, we've been below normal," Bumbaco said. She said forecasters were hopeful for a good snowpack during this La Niña year, when winter temperatures are generally cooler than normal in the North, but she's seen some surprises. Karin Bumbaco is Washington state's assistant climatologist. Hiking out in the morning we circled the mountain and hiked in. In Washington state, the snowpack is currently just above normal, at 104%. The Rainbow and Sholes Glacier were the only two with decent snowpack in the North Cascades. In fact, California tied a record from 1952. This year, snowpack levels in California were dramatic - 237% of average statewide. So, numbers are just kind of all over the board this year.Climatologists look to snowpack recordings made on April 1 as an indicator of possible drought conditions on the West Coast. Whereas the central Puget, in that Everett/Seattle convergence zone is 106% of typical. The North Puget Sound, again the furthest away from the storm tracks, is sitting at 88% of average. And we see the same thing with the West side. And Klickitat is at 89%, Naches is 87% which is a little bit of an increase from a few days ago. “As a good example, right now on the lower Yakima we're still sitting at only 83% of normal we just can't seem to catch a break there in that area. And he added the inconsistency is occurring on both sides of the Cascades. Pattee noted that snowpack numbers right now run from just under 110% of average to the low 80s. And so we haven't really gained a lot you know that that 99% is only two percentage points more than we were just six days ago before this last storm cycle hit.” “As much as anything, except in just a couple of isolated places, in the state, it’s kind of been maintenance snow that we've been getting and precipitation.
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