Are you ready for winter? It’s coming whether you like it or not
Sep 25, 2013, 4:29 PM | Updated: Sep 26, 2013, 10:07 am
Fall is here and winter is coming. Snow fell at Sunrise on Mount Rainier Wednesday. Storms with rain, wind and maybe even some snow in Western Washington are just around the corner. Are you ready for winter?
September is National Preparedness Month. Now is the time to get ready for winter. Don’t wait until the wind blows, the rivers rise, or the snow flies. If you prepare now, you will be ready for anything that may arise.
The latest regional winter weather outlook from the National Weather Services Climate Prediction Center is based upon what the central and eastern tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures are doing.
Right now, they are close to average, meaning no La Nina or El Nino, but rather neutral conditions are anticipated for this winter.
Historically, neutral winters are number one for those atmospheric rivers we call Pineapple Expresses with a lot of rain, flooding and landslides.
Neutral winters rank number two in frequency for strong damaging wind storms and lowland snow events.
Neutral winters usually offer active winter weather. Last winter was also a neutral winter and it was rather tranquil – we dodged a bullet. It is not likely we would do that again this winter. So now is the time to get ready.
Here are a couple of key resources to help you get ready for this winter at home, in your vehicle and at work, or school:
