Warm winter melts meager snowpack in Cascades, with far-reaching effects
EVERETT — Mountain snowpack levels in the Cascade Mountains in Snohomish County are at roughly 60% normal, while those gazing across Puget Sound can see the Olympics are at less than a third of what’s considered typical.
Much of the Pacific Northwest is in what’s called a “snow drought” meaning snowfall has been well below historic norms. Much of the region depends on mountain snowfall for water and hydropower throughout the year.
Across the broader region, 80% of weather stations in the West were below normal “snow water equivalent” as of this week. SWE describes how much liquid water is in the snow, and it’s used to estimate how much water regions will have as snow melts.
“Our snow is about half as good as it normally is,” said Karin Bumbaco, the state’s deputy climatologist.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/warm-winter-melts-meager-snowpack-in-cascades-with-far-reaching-effects/