Wet December may give way to dry spell in Western Washington

One of the wettest Decembers in Western Washington may fall short of a record.

As of Tuesday morning, Sea-Tac recorded 11.21 inches of rain this month, according to the National Weather Service. However, forecasts are calling for a dry finish to the month.

Forecasts call for a cloudy Tuesday, with little to no precipitation. Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be sunny with no precipitation. That’s good for those Washington residents desperate for a glimpse of the sun, but it means the month will fall just short of a record.

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The wettest December on record was in 1979, when 11.85 inches of rain fell.

How did this December get so close to breaking a record? At least a small amount of rain has fallen every day so far this month. The National Weather Service reports there have been three days with 1 inch or more of rain; there have been nine days with half an inch or more.

With help from December’s rain, the annual precipitation was boosted to more than 40. The annual normal is 37.49, according to the weather service.

The drier weather for the last few days of December might mean a relatively dry January. Cliff Mass, University of Washington professor of atmospheric sciences, says the latest forecast models suggest an El Nino transition is about to occur. There will be a shift in the weather that will result in a dry Pacific Northwest and a wetter California.

The forecasts for five to 10 days out show a “huge change,” according to Mass. Weather models from the National Weather Service show substantially more precipitation over portions of California; a lot less over Washington.

That could mean that after December’s snowfall in the mountains that has exceeded last year’s totals, there won’t be much fresh snow for skiers and snowboarders to look forward to in the next few weeks.