La Nina watch issued for upcoming winter in Western Washington
There's some promising news for Washington skiers and snowboarders: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center issued a La Niña watch on Thursday for the upcoming winter season, meaning a cooler-than-usual winter with more precipitation could be in store for the region.
The center is currently predicting that La Niña will likely emerge between September and November and last through January 2022. While the strength of the event is not currently known, last year was a "moderate-to-strong" event through March, with February seeing a major snow event in the lowlands.
And if you don't remember what La Niña is from your science or geography classes, here's a brief refresher: La Niña is an ocean-atmosphere weather pattern that describes below-average sea surface temperatures across the east-central Equatorial Pacific. Conversely, El Niño occurs when the water is warmer than usual.
Link to tweet
While most water in the Pacific will be just a few degrees cooler than average, this minor temperature fluctuation can disrupt the entire world's weather pattern. The chances for weather events such as lowland snow also increase with a strong La Niña, and the likelihood of a healthy snowpack is also bolstered by the event.
https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/la-nina-watch-issued-for-washington-2021-winter-16304112.php
