Might 2022 will go down as one of many wettest and coolest in Northwest historical past, setting the stage for a delay within the regional wildfire season.
To offer some perspective, listed below are the decrease environment temperature variations from regular (°C) for the month, courtesy of Dr. John Christy of the College of Alabama in Huntsville. A chilly bullseye is obvious over the Pacific Northwest (medium blue colours, greater than 1.5C beneath regular). Just one place is colder: japanese Russian (I might make a remark right here, however will not).
The japanese U.S. was hotter than regular in Might. The yin and yang of climate.
The snowpack over our area is amazingly deep (see beneath). For instance, the snowpack on the southeastern facet of the WA Cascades is EIGHTEEN HUNDRED FIFTY % of regular. Sure, 18 instances regular. The snowpack east of central Puget Sound is 319% of regular. Simply loopy.
And if that doesn’t impress you, Seattle had its wettest Might since 1948 (see beneath). You’ll discover there may be little long-term pattern in Seattle precipitation.
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The complete area was frigid through the previous month, with temperatures over a lot of the Northwest averaging 4-6F beneath regular for the month. The chilly extends eastward to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming….and past.
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Why so chilly and moist?
Due to a persistent trough of low strain than has been hanging round over the area.
As an example, beneath is a map of the distinction from regular (the anomaly) of heights on the 500 hPa strain degree (you possibly can consider it because the distinction from regular of the pressures at 18, 000 ft) for the previous 30 days Blue and purple point out a lot decrease than regular pressures/heights– referred to as a trough.
A really giant, robust trough is over our region–and that produces cool/moist circumstances. In distinction, there may be ridging…increased than regular heights and pressures– over the japanese U.S. the place temperatures are above regular. There’s a very wavelike sample of alternating high and low strain. Not an uncommon sample.
Now the miserable half.
The newest mannequin runs recommend June goes to proceed the cool/moist regime. Sorry.
For instance, the newest UW mannequin forecast for the amassed precipitation over the following week reveals bountiful rain over the area, with most of the mountain areas getting greater than 2 inches. That could be a lot for June. Even northern CA will get a bit of the moist motion.
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And the temperatures are predicted to be considerably cooler than regular over the following week (see European Heart ensemble forecast for temperature distinction from regular beneath). The complete Northwest will probably be cooler than typical (blue colours).
