WA’s snowpack was bad last year. Could La Niña bring relief?

Written by

Meteorologists say they are expecting a climatic switch this winter to weather patterns known as La Niña. On average, that means cooler temperatures and wetter conditions, meaning better chances for snow in the Cascades. Deputy State Climatologist Karin Bumbaco is quoted. 

WA’s mountain snow recharges our drinking water, powers our lives. Now it’s turning to rain.

Written by

Precipitation that once fell as snow is instead falling as rain, and the snow that does reach the ground is melting earlier in the year as our dry season trends longer and hotter. All told, Washington will see more water when it doesn’t need it and less water when it does. Guillaume Mauger and Matt Rogers, scientists at the Climate Impacts Group, are quoted, and the Shifting Snowlines and Shorelines report is referenced. 

‘Labor of love’ motivates scrappy nordic ski club in North Cascades 

Written by

Salmon Ridge Sno-Park is the main trailhead to access some 14 miles of forest roads maintained by the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club for groomed skiing, plus many more miles of ungroomed backcountry trails. Founded in 1992 by a group of Whatcom County cross-country enthusiasts, the volunteer club has cultivated a small but mighty nordic community in an unforgiving setting that receives snow and rain in seemingly equal measure. A UW Climate Impacts Group report is mentioned. 

WA snowpack starts off strong, but El Niño warming looms

Written by

Much of Washington is accumulating snowpack faster than normal so far this fall, a small victory for a state plagued by drought all summer. The trend isn’t expected to continue, climatologists say. Early snowpack data is limited and winter doesn’t officially begin for yet another month. Karin Bumbaco, Washington deputy state climatologist, and Guillaume Mauger, a research scientist at the UW Climate Impacts Group, are quoted in this article from the Seattle Times.

Outdoor recreation industry fears for future as these changes impact the North Cascades

Written by

As climate change alters the fabric of the Pacific Northwest, increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves, wildfires and precipitation extremes, outdoor recreation outfitters are scrambling to adapt their business models to shorter seasons and unpredictable conditions. CIG science is referenced.