Winter Weather Outlook Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. Weather experts say we’re looking ahead to a winter they predict will be a bit cooler and a bit wetter than “normal”
University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences professor, Cliff Mass says we’re already seeing signs of a La Nina winter …
MASS … “Well, it’s definitely a La Nina. It’s a weak La Nina, but it’s definitely one. And so, we’re definitely in that and that has implications for this winter.”
And Mass says we’re already seeing it in the mountains …
MASS … “We should be going into it with a better snowpack than last year. In fact, the snowpack right now is well above normal. So, I would expect that to continue at this point.”
Even down in Oregon, Mass says their drought is getting help …
MASS … “It is. In fact, they’ve gotten a tremendous amount of precipitation recently down there, especially in Southern Oregon and Northern California. So, yes, it’s really in pretty good shape, even down there.”
Should we expect extreme cold in the new year? …
MASS … “I mean, this is all probabilistic, so yeah, the chances are higher to get one of those “spring freezes” with this kind of year. But, you know, it’s too early to say.”
But Mass says this is what we’ve got …
MASS … “We expect this La Nina to last through the winter, but now the latest prediction suggests that after the winter it’s going to weaken rapidly. So, we’ll definitely have it through this winter. That you can bet on.”
Again, that’s Cliff Mass, University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences professor.
