NOAA outlines why Washington’s snowpack fell short after a brutal winter

SEATTLE — It was a brutal winter for the snowpack in the western states, including Washington, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

That has current snowpack levels beyond bleak.

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A map from NOAA shows the percentage of typical moisture in the snowpack across the West. It’s based on the median of the last 35 years.

Parts of the Cascades have just 13 to 27 percent of the water we could expect in our snowpack this time of year. The Olympics are at just 10 percent.

It was hoped that snowfall in April and May in some areas would offset the snow deficit, but that didn’t happen.

A dry snowpack is going to be a strain on agricultural water use this summer and will boost fire danger during the hottest months of the year.

What comes next?

Fin, Win, and their uncle Shawn were surprised and delighted by the unexpected April snowfall in the Cascades. (KOMO)

According to the 8-14 day precipitation outlook from NOAA, our state can expect equal chances of the typical amount of wetness over the next 2 weeks.

At the same time, government forecasters are expecting a 33 to 40 percent chance of above normal temperatures.

Forecasters are hoping for a surge of spring rain to at least delay a spike in the fire danger, but without a healthy snowpack heading into the summer months, water supplies could be bleak in parts of our state.