Washington, neighbors all drought-free after wet winter.
Looking for a silver lining after Seattle’s gray, rainy winter?
After a historically wet few months, there are currently no drought warnings for the Evergreen state.
Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center said the improvement in the region’s drought conditions began last year, when a strong El Niño pattern unexpectedly impacted areas further north than usual.
This year’s rainy weather led to more steady improvement.
That’s nearly 50 percent more precipitation than the yearly average of just over 30 inches over the same time period and about a half-inch more than the previous October through April.
Showers are expected on and off throughout the weekend, with the best chance of accumulation coming on Saturday and Monday.
Established in 199, the U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly map of drought conditions produced jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Seattlepi.com reporter Stephen Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8313 or stephencohen@seattlepi.com.
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