La Niña is returning – what does this mean for the North Sound?

EVERETT, SEPTEMBER 23: The summer season is officially over. Today, September 23, is the first full day of fall. The days are getting shorter and the nights longer, and the weather has been more autumnal for the past few weeks, reminding us that the winter season is not far away.

We can see why September National Prevention Monththe best time to prepare in advance for what is likely to come soon. Fall and winter weather in the North Sound often brings heavy rains, floods and landslides; strong destructive storms and snow and ice in the lowlands. These types of severe weather are the main reason for you to prepare in advance.

The latest seasonal weather forecasts were released last week. and it shows that La Niña will return this winter. La Niña is the opposite of El Niño – when ocean waters in the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific – the waters west of Peru – are cooler than average. El Niña occurs when those same tropical waters are warmer than average, and that was the case last winter.

La Niña and El Niño have a major impact on the track of storms in the North Pacific. During La Niña, Pacific storms spend more time on their way ashore in the Pacific Northwest. as opposed to El Niño, when the storm track takes a more consistent path toward California and beyond.

El Niño winters in Western Washington tend to be warmer than average, with higher than average precipitation and less snowpack in the mountains, as was the case last winter.

La Niña winters vary markedly. They tend to be cooler and wetter than average and produce a healthy snowpack in the mountains. Earlier this decade, there were three rare consecutive La Niña winters – the winters of 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23. In each of these winters, the mountains received above-average Mountain Snow cover, and snowfalls occurred in the North Sound, disrupting normal life.

Current seasonal weather forecast

The new seasonal weather outlook shows further development of La Niña. The outlook for this fall and winter reflects the usual La Niña tendencies with below-average temperatures and above-average precipitation from December to February. This trend also points to a healthy snowpack in the mountains next spring. Good News for snow enthusiasts, And Water managers and power generation authorities.

The forecast for October and November indicates an above-average wet autumn, without Temperature curve.

Effects of La Niña

In the ranking between El Niño, “neutral” (approximately the average surface temperatures of the tropical eastern Pacific) and La Niña winters, La Niña ranks first in terms of snow formation in lowland areas. Each of The three previous La Niña winters earlier this decade resulted in snowfall in lowland areas across much of Western Washington.

The snow season in the lowland regions usually begins in mid-November and lasts until March. Snow not only causes traffic delays, but often also power outages. Many of the ten snowiest winters in Western Washington have occurred during La Niña winters.

Now is also the time to prepare for potentially destructive storms, as well as floods and landslides.

Storm season usually begins in October. The strongest nontropical storm in U.S. history occurred on October 12, 1962 – the Columbus Day Storm. In inland Western Washington, including the North Sound, winds reached more than 100 mph, downed thousands of trees, damaged homes and utilities, caused power outages for over two weeks, and claimed 46 lives.

This region typically sees a strong, destructive storm about every 10 years. All other strong storms are compared to the granddaddy of them all – the Columbus Day Storm. The last significant storm to hit this area was the Hanukah Eve storm in December 2006.

Our region is long overdue. You might be asking yourself this question: What if there was another storm like the one on Columbus Day? Would you be prepared for a longer Time span without electricity?

Flood season typically begins in late October and lasts through March. Flooding is the number one presidentially declared natural disaster in Washington. Given that warmer global temperatures hold more moisture, storms that bring higher volumes of moisture can produce higher amounts of rain during the same time period. Period. It is quite possible that these wet storms will bring more rain and cause more severe flooding than in the past. This problem has been occurring not only across the country but also around the world in recent years.

Are you prepared for these dangers or perhaps an earthquake? Now is the time to prepare. Find helpful tips and checklists for your home, car, pets and more at ready.gov or the CDC website for winter preparation.

A key element for your home, business, school, healthcare facility or place of worship is a NOAA Weather Radio All-weather protection – a lifesaver for the price of a pair of shoes. Remember, if you know the weather, you'll be prepared for the weather.

To protect you, your family and your business, prepare this month during National Prevention Month and you'll be better prepared for whatever nature brings this fall and winter.