Biggest Weather Events of 2017

2017 was a crazy year for weather across the Inland Northwest.  The national Weather Service recently ranked the top local events.  Dennis Hull, meteorologist with the NWS said his staff ranked the winter weather as the #1 weather story of the past year.

“Not only because it had a lot of snow, but it was just so sustained and people were having to endure it for not only December but also in January and February.  In fact, looking on the satellite images I remember last winter it looked like a big glacier from about Hermiston all the way up to the Tri Cities and Yakima, and it just kind of stayed in place.”

Hull told the Washington Ag Network when looking back on 2017, it was the inconsistency that he’ll remember most.

"Going from drought, to sever weather to, [we] even had a wet water year.  So we had Pendleton Yakima Tri-Cities each earned a top ten ranking for wet water years, and of course that ended September 30^th.  And all of that moisture, probably over 90% of it came in the October through June period.”

Other notable weather events:

• In early March, the drought monitor showed all of Washington and Oregon drought free for the first time since October 2011 (a period just short of 5 ½ years)
• Record breaking heat. It was the hottest August on record for Ellensburg, Hermiston, Easton, Yakima and Long Creek.
• It was also the driest July on record in Yakima and Hermiston
• And of course, Solar Eclipse 2017

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com