3-6 NWR El Nino, maybe

This is your Northwest report for Monday, March 6, I'm David Sparks and as has been the case so often this year, weather is in the news again. According to the USDA meteorological service, sea surface temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific are rising fast and are now, in some places, 4° to 4 1/2° F above normal which means, "perhaps the birth of a strong and early arriving El Niño". That was agriculture meteorologist Eric Luebehusen who said the last El Niño that was that strong was in 2015 into 2016. Meanwhile there has been a rapid decline in sea surface temperatures in the Northern Pacific. "That is helping to kickstart this El Niño signature that we are seeing in the sea surface temperatures." So what are the implications of an El Niño to the northwest? "it can get you some drier weather across portions heading up into the Northwest as well as some warm weather across the northern tier of the United States but it far from guarantees it."

Elsewhere, the Trump administration has just sent its strongest signal yet that it is prepared to buck the international trade order, including confronting the World Trade Organization, to assertively defend the economic interests and sovereignty of the United States.

In a mandated annual report to Congress outlining the president's trade agenda, the administration repeated Trump's warnings that the U.S. would take tough measures to combat dumping and other unfair practices by trading partners and ensure a level playing field.