Cascades seeing far more brown as snowpack remains far below normal

Families looking to go sledding at the Paradise snow park on Mount Rainier are out of luck again this weekend, as the area remains closed because of a lack of snow.

It’s just one sign of the drastic conditions of the state’s snowpack, and experts say the outlook for a turnaround isn’t looking good.

The mountain snowpack statewide is about 50 percent below average, with the Olympics and Central Puget Sound Cascades running about 29 percent of normal, said Scott Pattee, water supply specialist with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service.

If the trend continues, it could spell significant water shortages this summer.

“When it comes to water supply, that’s where we really need more snow, especially in Seattle, which relies almost entirely on snow to fill reservoirs,” Pattee said. “If we stay really low like this we could be looking to experience additional conservation measures and possible cutbacks.”

That could impact everything from washing our cars to watering our lawns.

The situation is similar to last winter, when the mountain snowpack remained far below normal until early January when the weather shifted and heavy precipitation blasted Washington state.

But this year is different. First and foremost, there just hasn’t been much significant precipitation except for a brief spell in December.

“It’s just a drizzle, that’s the problem. We need blasts of moisture to even come close to catching up,” Pattee said. “Even worse, temperatures have just been ridiculously high, even in the mountains.”

The temperature was 41 degrees at Snoqualmie Pass Friday, where warm temperatures and a a lack of snow have limited operations at the Summit at Snoqualmie ski areas. And the temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-to-high 40’s by Monday. Summit West reported just 22 inches at the base Friday, more than enough to ski but another indicator of the bleak snowfall.

At Paradise on Mount Rainier, the snow play area remains closed because there’s not enough snow needed for safety and to protect vegetation. Normally by this time of year, the area would be covered in more than five feet of snow.

“It’s not looking good any time soon,” said meteorologist Ted Buehner with the National Weather Service in Seattle. “It looks pretty mild all the way into next week and relatively dry. And the long-term forecast calls for increased odds of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation.”

While it’s not too late to catch up as evidenced by last year, Pattee is growing increasingly concerned. “It’s a worry, that’s for sure,” he said.