Weather Outlook Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. The La Nina weather pattern that has stuck with us for an usually long three straight years is fading.
Cliff Mass, Atmospheric Sciences professor at the University of Washington, says we are transitioning to an El Nino …
MASS … “Yeah, well, it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen now. La Nina’s going to fade during the next month, month-and-a-half, it’s already started. And then, it will go neutral by the summer and then it will be an El Nino by, by the fall.”
And what does that mean weather-wise? …
MASS … “Well, I mean, the classic is that we tend to be a little bit warmer and drier with lower snowpack, you know, than normal during El Nino years. So that’s the classic.”
But currently, Mass says, it’s still winter …
MASS … “Yeah, the next week is going to be interesting. So, I think the snowpack is going to get a big boost.”
On top of, Mass says, what’s already a fairly healthy snowpack …
MASS … “Well, we’re near normal, slightly less than normal, maybe, but close to normal. But that’s all going to change now. By the end of the week, we’ll be above normal.”
Because, Mass says, La Nina is not gone yet …
MASS … “For the next month, we’ll probably end up being cooler than normal. So, the forecasts are all for cooler than normal for the next month around here, which is kind of La Nina-esque.”
Tune in tomorrow for more … on our Northwest weather outlook and what it could mean for the year ahead here in the Northwest and for others in the Western U.S.
