With frigid temperatures and lowland snow, La Niña made up for lost time over the last week, but will she stick around as we head into March?
The answer looks to be yes for now. By the weekend, our highs should climb back into the mid to upper 40's, and snow levels will be mainly above 2,000 feet by the weekend. But those highs will still be below our normal highs which are in the low 50's.
And longer term? NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is projecting the first couple of weeks of March will remain below normal for temperatures and above normal for rainfall.
And beyond, their seasonal outlook for March through May is similar – below normal temperatures but rainfall has equal chances of being above normal, normal, or below normal.
The good news is that spring is officially only 22 days away, and with more sun each day we will warm up enough that even below normal highs will be pleasant.
Looks like patience is the key – and a good jacket.
February's yo-yo weather
February 2018 has been Jekyll and Hyde weather-wise.
The first 13 days of the month it seemed like winter was over. Our average high at Sea-Tac was almost 50 and we had five days with highs of 50 or better, including 55 degrees on February 4.
What became of our La Niña winter? It was supposed to be cooler than normal and wetter than normal.
But then Valentine's Day arrived and we discovered she was just out of town. Over the next 12 days (through Sunday) our average high temperatures plunged to 41 degrees! And we have had five days with highs in 30's.
We have had a continuing series of lowland snow events. And we saw two to three feet of new snow in the Cascades this past weekend.
