UW Climatologist explains what a La Niña winter means for Seattle
Sep 16, 2017, 6:06 PM | Updated: Sep 17, 2017, 11:23 pm
A La Niña winter could bring more rain and cooler temperatures to Seattle. (AP)
(AP)
Washington state could see snow and higher-than-normal levels of rain this year, especially after Jan. 1, due to a La Niña winter. According to University of Washington climatologist Cliff Mass, Seattle will not have to wait long to feel the change in seasons – he expects clouds and rainy weather as early as Monday.
Another La Nina is likely coming to the Northwest this winter
Mass explained the phenomenon in which easterly trade winds lead to below-average ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific. The effect is a cooler and wetter winter in the Northwest, with more snow in the mountains.
The La Niña phase is less common than its counterpart, El Niño (where warmer-than-average temperatures are observed). In addition to cooler temperatures in the Northwest, the phase brings warmer-than-average temperatures to the Southeast.
One of Seattle’s coldest, snowiest winters (2008-09) was a La Niña winter, as was 2016-17, which didn’t bring as much snow as prior years but was the coldest winter on record in Seattle since 1985.
According to Mass, this year’s La Niña will likely be mild. The cooling is expected to intensify later in the season, meaning the coldest temperatures will hit after the New Year.
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