Washingtonians might have to stop giving umbrellas the cold shoulder, because this winter could be too cold and wet to bear.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s winter weather outlook predicts colder temperatures and heavier rainfall in the Pacific Northwest. The report identifies a 40-50% chance that temperatures will fall below average, which is the greatest percentage compared to the rest of the United States. Chances for above average precipitation are estimated at 33-40%.
“It doesn’t say how much below normal,” said Kirby Cook, Science and Operations Officer at the National Weather Service’s Forecast Office in Seattle. “It’s not really equating to a specific temperature, it’s just that odds are a 40-50% chance that they will be below normal.”
These abnormal conditions are due to a projected La Niña episode, which is generally characterized by colder winter conditions in the North, and warmer temperatures in the South.
According to the NOAA’s website, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle is a phenomenon when abnormal climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean disrupt the ocean’s upwelling process. Normally, trade winds, which revolve the Earth around the equator, head west and draw warm water from South America to Asia. Then, cold water rises to replace it.