PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Winter has come and gone, but not before making a major impact on the Pacific Northwest. Portland saw its second snowiest winter season in the last 10 years with the second snowiest single-day event now in the books.
Mountain snow was in no short supply. Oregon’s Cascades have seen near-average to above-average snowpack numbers for the snowy season. Oregon State Climatologist Larry O’Neill tells KOIN 6 News the state has generally had a “really good snowpack” with much cooler-than-normal temperatures across most of the state.
“So, what precipitation has fallen, especially in the higher elevation as snow, has been able to stick around,” he said.
Snow is always the topic of conversation during the winter months, but it’s known as western Oregon and Washington’s rainy season. When it comes to rain during the winter months this year, Oregon has fallen behind.
“Right now about 50% of the state has received less than 75% of its average precipitation for the winter. So, that’s really exacerbated concerns about drought going into this summer. Despite the great snowpack,” said O’Neill.
The Pacific Ocean is also going through a temperature change. During the winter months, a La Niña pattern was setting up over the ocean. That typically brings a greater chance of snow to the Pacific Northwest. Now, ocean temperatures are starting to warm. That’s where a neutral summer to an El Niño summer is possible. That means some of those warmer temperatures could find their way back to western Oregon and Washington during the summer months.
“It’s too soon to plan out. Because these are based on a collection of historic events. So, not every two events are the same,” said O’Neill.
Colder and wetter weather is making its way back to the Pacific Northwest this week. That goes to show that this potential warming trend over the next few months will be gradual.