OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Water supply in Washington shows continuing trends we’ve seen over the last couple years, worrying officials.
As winter gets underway in the state, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has released their first water supply outlook of the year.
The report says that the warm temps combined with a low amount of autumnal precipitation in the mountains contributed to a low snowpack. The northwest portion of the state is showing signs of normal snowpack despite the rest of the state not faring as well.
Though western Washington was hit with historic flooding in last month, forecasters say the warm temps prevented an increase to snowpack outside of the highest peaks.
According to the report, much of the region will need to see colder temps combined with regular precipitation to recover the snowpack needed for the warm months in Washington.
