2023/24 El Niño is Forecast to Change Washington’s Winter Weather

Meteorologists are saying there will be big changes this winter to the weather in Washington State.

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Washington Winter Weather Expected to Change

This year, weather meteorologists are predicting the El Niño conditions we have been experiencing will continue, bringing changes to the winter weather all over the Northwest including Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. El Niño conditions are caused when warm water from near the equator is pushed into the northern Pacific Ocean. That weather phenomenon is known to cause the rising of global temperatures and strange weather patterns. Over the last year, the strong heat wave that people on the West Coast experienced was because of El Niño conditions. Conditions that create El Niño continue as we head into winter, and that means big changes according to winter weather experts. Another contributing factor that scientists are beginning to understand is the snow cover in Siberia and how that affects worldwide temperatures. They have found that when Siberia has less snow cover, the Polar Vortex stays over the pole and so does the extremely cold air. Right now, there is not much snow on the Siberian tundra, meaning scientists are expecting the cold to stay very north contributing to the warm conditions.

2023 El Niño Conditions and Washington State Winter

In most of the country, El Niño conditions bring very wet weather with increased amounts of rain and stronger storms. The wet weather stretches from Massachusetts, down to Florida, all the way to California. The East Coast could also have a chance to see multiple noreaster storms in 2023/24 bringing lots of snow for skiers and snowboarders. The Northern parts of the United States from the Great Lakes to Washington State are forecast to be much drier than normal. For 2023/2024, Washington State is expected to have a much drier and warmer winter than in the past. Storms that would have traditionally brought lots of snow will most likely instead bring rain this year in Washington, especially in the lower elevations.