It’s been cold.
It’s been wet.
It’s been a spring in Washington state.
If it has seemed colder and wetter than usual, that’s a comedown from the La Niña conditions of the last two winters. La Niñas, which can last up to two years, are characterized by cooler-than-normal ocean temperatures, making the Pacific Northwest’s climate wetter than usual.
So no, it isn’t your imagination; it really has been rainier than normal.
With La Niña fading, we’re looking out for El Niño, according to the National Weather Service. If El Niño conditions develop between July and December – and there’s a 50-50 chance they will – Washington can expect warmer weather this winter.
Right now, the Weather Service is forecasting “neutral conditions,” meaning temperatures won’t stray too far above or below the norm of about 57 degrees, said forecaster Johnny Burg of the bureau’s Seattle office.
Though summer officially starts today, the change in weather won’t happen right away. (The forecast is mostly sunny today and Thursday, with highs in the 70s. But showers are likely Friday through Monday, with highs in the 60s.)
Beyond that, the Weather Service predicts it will be cool and wet up to July 1.
Usually, June begins cool – the average low for the month in 2011 was about 52 degrees and so far this year it’s been about 50 degrees. That’s not even in the top 10 for the historically low temperatures for the month, Burg said.
The coldest it’s ever been for this month was June 12, 1952, when temperatures dropped to 38 degrees.
On the other extreme, the record high for the month was recorded on June 9, 1955, when temperatures peaked at 96 degrees.
But while there haven’t been record low temperatures or rainfall, it was a wet spring for Western Washington.
In the first week of June, 1.57 inches of rain was recorded at Sea-Tac Airport, which was the normal amount for the entire month, Burg said. March was the wettest month of the year so far with a total of 7.20 inches – about 3.48 inches above the normal rainfall of 3.72 inches.
So what’s up for summer?
It might not be warmer, but it will be drier, Burg said.
Last July and August, the average high temperatures were about 74 degrees in July and 76 degrees in August. Forecasters are predicting similar conditions for this year.
As for rain, an average of 0.71 inches fell last July and 0.13 inches in August. Normally, July and August see about 0.70 to 0.88 inches of rain.
karen.miller@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8876
