Winter Forecasts Hold Possibilities of La Nina Impact

Forecasts for the winter Northwest began the summer looking mild and potentially drier than normal, but that has changed to introducing a possible La Nina effect.

Nic Loyd with WSU’s AgWeatherNet said they ran a lot of forecast models to see what they project.

“About even odds for a normal winter but I think certainly when we can finalize and say if there will in fact be a La Nina event this year, I think the odds tilt a little bit towards a harsher winter, slightly toward cool and maybe continued wet conditions.”

Current forecasts do show warmer and drier through the fall and into early winter.

Loyd did note that saying the forecast includes neutral conditions, or La Nina conditions, does not guarantee what our winter will look like.

“There’s plenty of variability, so just saying if you’re going to be in one of those stages does not necessarily signify what the winter is going to be like. It is interesting to note it was a weak La Nina last winter and the indications are certainly shifting in that direction so it is interesting to note that we remember how last winter turned out.”

Those forecasts could prove good news for water supplies, but also could cause concerns over growth possibilities that lead to plenty of wildfire fuel.

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