What Does a La Niña Winter Mean for Washington State

What Does a La Niña Winter Mean for Washington State

My experience living in Washington State most of my life has me expecting a wild and crazy winter about every three years.

Are We Getting A Cold Or Wetter Than Normal Winter For Eastern Washington?

I was living in Seattle in 1996 and it was one of the worst winters we experienced and my family and I were snowed in for three days – in Seattle – which is a crazy rarity for Washingtonians on the West Side.

So 2024 looks like a La Niña winter for Washington State, but what does that mean for us, especially those living in Eastern Washington?

While winter inevitably brings a chill to this corner of the Pacific Northwest, not all winters are created equal.

Enter La Niña—a climate phenomenon capable of transforming our typical winter landscape.

La Niña is part of a larger climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which affects global weather patterns.

It occurs when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become cooler than average.

This cooling influences atmospheric conditions far beyond its oceanic origins, leading to significant changes in weather around the world.

For Washington State, La Niña is often associated with wetter and colder conditions during winter months compared to neutral or El Niño phases.

So during a typical La Niña winter, we’ll see increased precipitation which can lead to heavy snowfall in mountainous areas such as the Cascades and Olympics.

In addition to impacting snow levels in higher elevations, La Niña winters tend to bring more rainfall to lower-lying areas west of the Cascades Range, including cities like Seattle and Olympia

On our side of the mountains in Eastern Washington, we experience our own set of challenges during a La Niña event due largely due its distinct climate characterized by drier plains contrasted against wet western slopes bordering it.

Our temperatures dip further below average causing harsher frosts while simultaneously supplying moisture needed elsewhere within state boundaries

So expect a cooler and wetter winter along with an increased chance of snow in Eastern Washington so don’t be surprised if we get a bunch of snow in the Tri-Cities this winter.