Parsons Expects Wet Weather To Continue Into Early Summer

With the start of summer less than three weeks away, what can the state of Oregon expect when it comes to soil moisture? Oregon Department of Forestry Lead Meteorologist Pete Parsons said the wetter than average spring is expected to continue into the summer months.

“NOAA’s climate prediction center thinks that La Niña is going to continue now, most likely through the end of the year. And if it does so, that’ll make three La Niña winters in a row. That hasn’t happened in over two decades. 

However, Parsons said northern and western Oregon will get most of the moisture; with eastern Oregon closer to average summer rainfall.

“That’s a classic La Niña signature. La Nina tends to give more precipitation to northern Oregon than Southern Oregon, relative to average. El Niño does the opposite."

And, he said if that rain comes with thunderstorms, it could make for a difficult fire season, especially in Central and Eastern Oregon where drought conditions aren’t expected to improve. Parsons also predicted June will be slightly cooler than average for most of the state, while July will be cooler west of the Cascades, as the east side warms up.

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