Warm and dry: Here’s a look at Washington’s extended winter forecast

Late fall is just starting off and while the colder and longer days may feel wintery, the season itself is still over a month away. That being said, it never hurts to look ahead and see what the weather has in store for us, especially here in Seattle. Here’s a look at the Washington winter forecast.

In order to get an idea of what our state is working with, we looked at the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). For December through February, the CPC predicted a 50-60% chance of “likely above” seasonal temperatures.

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When it comes to precipitation the CEC predicted a 33-40% chance of “leaning below” seasonal precipitation. Now, that prediction is just for eastern Washington and does not account for Western Washington or the Puget Sound area.

The University of Washington also noted that “El Niño conditions are currently present in the tropical equatorial Pacific Ocean” and that “both the equatorial ocean and atmosphere are reflecting El Niño conditions.” Overall, it indicates a very high chance (99%) that El Niño will persist December through February as a “moderate” to “strong” event.

So what does this mean for you? The Washington winter forecast at this time indicates a warmer than average winter and a slightly higher chance of below normal precipitation.

Until then, you can enjoy fall!