“The Blob plays role in Washington’s low snowpack”

• Editor’s note: The advanced forecast for next week is showing the possibility for very cold weather and snow showers beginning Sunday evening through next week. Are you and your family prepared for the potential of winter weather? Click here

“Washington’s snowpack below normal, and a marine heatwave in the Pacific Ocean may be partly to blame.”

“The heavy mountain snow that finally kicked in last weekend was the start of what meteorologists expect will be weeks of more normal mountain weather.

“The key question is if it will make up for the snowpack deficit that’s racked up through this winter so far.

“‘Here’s hoping at least we get enough snow in January, that even if February and March aren’t so great, we’ll have enough to get through the summer,’ said Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond with the University of Washington, who is an expert in studying how the oceans interact with the atmosphere.

“Take January 3 as a benchmark: Snowpack in the Cascades ranged from 32% of normal in the southwestern Cascades to 45% and 46% in the central Cascades east of Tacoma and Seattle. The north Cascades was 64% of normal. The upper Yakima River area that irrigates many of the state’s crops was at 44%, according to the National Resources Conservation Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal agency that tracks snowpack,” by Glenn Farley, KING-5 TV News, Seattle. Read more

“Heavy Snow Will Pound the Pacific Northwest Cascades into Early Next Week; Here’s Why That’s Great News”

By Brian Donegan, The Weather Channel. Read more