Winter Forecast Update

Winter Forecast Update

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. If you've been around the Northwest over the past month or so, you'd probably think we were having the winter of all winters, but it's actually, what folks in the weather business call, pretty normal.

WSU Meteorologist Nic Loyd says it beats the heck out of the past couple of winters ...

NIC LOYD ... "It's interesting, especially after, well of course two winters ago, really I'd say the mildest winter on record for Washington. We're talking about record low snowpack and so as you remember, the water supply, especially for the irrigated ag folks in Central Washington was really in poor shape that year. And then even last year, it ended up being a mild but wet winter so we had just enough snowpack to get by although it started to melt pretty quickly in the Spring given the mild temperatures."

Loyd says this winter has given farmers around the northwest far less to worry about ...

NIC LOYD ... "Luckily this winter's been a little different. We've actually had some snow and some cold weather so so far we're in actually fairly good shape in terms of having had some snow and also the cold weather to sustain some of that snowpack. That's not to say there couldn't be an early melt this year. Obviously, it's too early to know, but at least so far so good."

Loyd says the mountain snow accumulation is actually a little behind "normal" in some areas, but snow in the lowlands has given people a misperception of what might be piling up at elevation.

On January 1st, statewide automated snowpack readings showed snowpack at 118 percent of normal, slightly lower than this time last year. Most basins are recording near to above normal snowpack.

Previous ReportHirst Rulilng and Senator Warnick
Next ReportCAFO Updates