If anyone was worried about water resources for next summer over the Pacific Northwest, stop worrying. We are in excellent shape.
And with lots of water and a good snowpack, there are less fears for an early or severe wildfire season.
Let's look at the situation in detail.
During the past month, the region has been quite wet, with much of the area receiving 150% and more of normal precipitation.
The snowpack is normal over Washington and well above normal in Oregon (see below). Plenty of snow to melt in the summer to supply water to fill streams and reservoirs.
The critical Yakima River reservoirs are in good shape and are currently slightly below normal. Snowpack melting and precipitation the next few weeks should be able to fill them.
Seattle's reservoir storage is above normal and the snowpack above Seattle's reservoirs is near normal. Seattle is in excellent shape.
What about the huge water storage for Everett's system at Spada Lake? It is at 95% of normal (it was higher but they brought it down for flood protection). Red line is current level and blue is normal.
So everything is in very good shape and there is a lot of precipitation in the forecast. And March precipitation is worth more than November precipitation. Dam and reservoir operators are less worried about flooding so they can store more of the water. And if it is raining, then the ground is not drying out and water demand remains low.
For the next 360hr (15 days), the National Weather Service GFS model has unimaginable amounts of precipitation over our region (see below). Like 10-20 inches of precipitation over the mountains.
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center 3-month forecast is for wetter than normal conditions.
All this precipitation is bad for parents watching their kids play soccer or little league. But good for skiing, water resources, agriculture, power generation and those worried about wildfires. Water is life and in the NW critical for the economy. And we will be well supplied until this fall.
And with lots of water and a good snowpack, there are less fears for an early or severe wildfire season.
Let's look at the situation in detail.
During the past month, the region has been quite wet, with much of the area receiving 150% and more of normal precipitation.
The critical Yakima River reservoirs are in good shape and are currently slightly below normal. Snowpack melting and precipitation the next few weeks should be able to fill them.
So everything is in very good shape and there is a lot of precipitation in the forecast. And March precipitation is worth more than November precipitation. Dam and reservoir operators are less worried about flooding so they can store more of the water. And if it is raining, then the ground is not drying out and water demand remains low.
For the next 360hr (15 days), the National Weather Service GFS model has unimaginable amounts of precipitation over our region (see below). Like 10-20 inches of precipitation over the mountains.
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center 3-month forecast is for wetter than normal conditions.
All this precipitation is bad for parents watching their kids play soccer or little league. But good for skiing, water resources, agriculture, power generation and those worried about wildfires. Water is life and in the NW critical for the economy. And we will be well supplied until this fall.
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