This March has been very wet over the western side of Washington State.
How wet? Read on.
At Bellingham (through March 29), it has been the wettest March of ALL TIME....going back to 1950... with roughly 6.5 inches.
No wonder that the I5 is closed just south of Bellingham due to landslides:
Seattle has had the sixth-wettest March since the late 1940s (below). This is in stark contrast to the past several years.
The latest NOAA soil moisture analysis indicates that western Washington has the highest soil moisture in the nation.
What about the difference from normal of our current soil moisture? Are these values unusual? The following map shows the differences from normal (in mm). Western Washington and the Cascades have wetter-than-normal soils.
The forecast total through Friday morning shows substantial precipitation across the region, with the heaviest amounts exactly where they are needed over western Oregon.
Good news for water resources and for those who like it damp:
For those who will ask, where does the data come from, in the March precipitation graphs for Bellingham and SeaTac? I mean, I assume, NOAA but just to make it super-clear to everyone. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCliff's graphs were generated via XMACIS but the ultimate source of the data are NOAA/NWS weather stations.
DeleteVery rain shadowed month near Suquamish.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I always thought Suquamish and other parte of North Kitsap tended to have more rain than other parts of the Kitsap Peninsula.
DeleteGetting harder to suggest Washington's in dire drought conditions. I'm sure the "drought monitor" will figure out a way though - all I can think is there must be a lot of money in calling things something that they are not. It really makes you lose a lot of faith in science when even statistics are not a reliable measure of a specific situation anymore.
ReplyDeleteDr. Mass is a scientist. You have faith in his science, though. Right?
DeleteYes, he posts facts and backs them up with hard stats. Just the way you'd expect from an expert in the field.
DeleteIts been a very wet month indeed! But there has been some decent dry time as well, even at the coast. The ducks and birds are definitely enjoying the changing conditions!
ReplyDeleteYakima reservoirs sitting at 3rd highest level for March 30, for last 100 years (at 973,000 acre feet)
ReplyDeleteCynically said, i'm old enough to remember when in prior years the Drought dot gov guys would ignore lakes and rivers and point to dry soil as evidence of drought....they just keep picking different ways to justify a drought.
ReplyDeleteGood to see that Mr. & Mrs. Mallard will enjoy the weather.
ReplyDeleteIndeed they will!
DeleteI does seem to me that Seattle Times' Climate Lab is addicted to pessimism. As you say, Cliff, we had a very wet March, and I see (even by the Seattle times' data) precipitation-wise, we are right on the median for this calendar year. I think that there is an unspoken ethic at Climate Lab that we have to stress the negative to keep folks scared and hence reduce fossil fuel use. But as you say, Cliff, it is better to be honest and report both sides of the story.
ReplyDeleteST sticking with the sever drought messaging today:
ReplyDelete"Let’s not dance around the issue: Washington is headed straight for a rough and dry summer.
The state is entering its fourth severe drought in a row, something that hasn’t happened since our climate records began. And that lack of water is going to bleed into virtually every aspect of life in the Pacific Northwest.
The state currently sits at about half its normal snowpack level. Sure there’s some time left in the season to recover but — this being our third-warmest winter on record — chances are the snowpack is only going to melt even more, further depleting our natural water reserves
Now, don’t panic. But do take this seriously."
Not a wet March or winter here on the NE corner of the Olympic Peninsula. The Olympic rain shadow has kept us from getting all the precip we need to fill up the water table. Here in Port Hadlock area one well's water level is about a foot lower than this time last year. Some small streams that are usually flowing earlier in the winter still aren't flowing like normal. Ponds that are ground water based have water levels lower than normal. Of course you only have to travel a few miles south of here to have experienced a wet March!
ReplyDeleteDid march go out like a lame
ReplyDeleteThe Seattle Times is an excellent contrary indicator for many things, especially climate and even weather.
ReplyDeleteWe have ducks visiting our water logged lawn in Mount Vernon at I-5 exit 227 near Big Rock. We have never experienced this much ground water before.
ReplyDeleteAs of April 1, our statewide snowpack is well below normal at just 53% of median. Snowpack deficits are largest in the central Cascades, Olympics, Blue Mountains, and Okanogans.
ReplyDeleteWater supply forecasts indicate less than 75% of normal water supply is expected for many major river basins statewide, including the Yakima Basin.
Reservoir full pool capacity alone can only meet about ⅓ of the total water demand in the Yakima Basin, which means that snowpack is critical to the summer water supply.
Yakima Valley senior water rights are projected to be fully allocated. Junior water rights will only get 44% of normal. Washington State Climate Office