Nearly all of Washington has been declared in a drought – excepts parts of Puget Sound. Author: Glenn Farley Updated: 6:03 PM PDT July 16, 2021
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a drought emergency across the entire state this week, except for parts of three counties: King, Snohomish and Pierce. Those counties didn’t get any more rain than the others, so why isn’t the entire state in a drought?
The reason comes down to water storage. Specifically, it’s the ability of those counties to capture and store enough of the runoff from the near-record snowpack last winter to maintain their water supply above 75% of normal. That means in Seattle, Everett and Tacoma, it’s pretty much business as usual.
University of Washington assistant research professor of glaciers and climate TJ Fudge told the state’s Komo News the extreme conditions were also causing the biggest glacier melt in the state in about 100 years.
Snow and ice on Washington’s iconic Mount Rainier– the most glaciated peak in the contiguous USA – is likewise melting.
Scott Pattee, of the Washington Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting, said: “Now we’re melting into glaciers and so probably that is what’s causing the milky waters down below.
“It is a big deal, I mean we’ve been losing glaciers a lot lately due to climate change or whatever it is - but to have them go this rapidly is really quite scary.”
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US: Heatwave Causing ‘biggest Glacier Melt In Washington State
The record-breaking heatwave in the US northwest and Canada is reported to have caused the biggest glacier melt in Washington state in a century.
IMAGE: AP
The record-breaking heatwave in the US northwest and Canada is reported to have caused the biggest glacier melt in Washington state in a century. As per the reports by Komo News, Milky, sandy water has been running into Puget Sound, which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists have said that the rocks and minerals could be from melting glaciers.
Heatwave leads to melting of glaciers
April snow falling in the Cascades raises avalanche concerns
Search and rescue officials said new snow on top of what’s already on the ground has teams monitoring the risks of an avalanche. Author: KING 5 Staff, Associated Press Published: 10:26 AM PDT April 8, 2021 Updated: 10:27 AM PDT April 8, 2021
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. Up to 8 inches of snow is forecasted at the Cascade passes through Saturday, which is good news for the ski resorts. But the April snowfall could be challenging for anyone traveling in the mountains.
The weather system is expected to arrive Friday night into Saturday, bringing another round of rain and mountain snow. The National Weather Service (NWS) said snow levels will remain around 2,000 feet with more snow accumulating on the mountain passes.