Here’s why ‘folks have been complaining about all the rain around here’
Feb 1, 2016, 12:13 PM | Updated: 2:47 pm
What happened to that drier-than-usual January we were supposed to have in the Pacific Northwest? (KIRO Radio photo)
(KIRO Radio photo)
What happened to that drier-than-usual January Seattle was supposed to have in the Pacific Northwest?
We’re getting it, to some extent.
A Northwest January is always a wet month, according to climatologist Cliff Mass. So just because forecasts predicted a drier than usual January, that didn’t mean there wasn’t supposed to be rain.
“Folks have been complaining about all the rain around here, lately,” Mass writes. “BUT IT ALWAYS RAINS A LOT IN JANUARY in our area.”
Over the last 30 days or so, the Northwest has been slightly drier than normal on the slopes of the Cascades. Like he predicted in 2015, it is considerably wetter than normal over Northern California.
Temperatures are warmer than normal over Western Washington and Oregon, Mass writes. And as predicted, snowfall over the lowlands is “much lower than normal.”
Related: History of Groundhog Day and why it doesn’t matter in Seattle
Mass predicts that, compared to normal years, snowpack will be “modestly below normal” in the mountains.
However, that probably won’t be before at least one more big snow dump. After a few days of somewhat dry weather, another system is moving into the Northwest. Forecasts call for increased snow showers through Thursday. The Summit at Snoqualmie could receive as much as 16 inches. Stevens Pass could receive up to 17 inches.
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