Records at the Olympia Regional Airport show Olympia has received a paltry 0.10 inch of precipitation through Dec. 17, said Dennis D’Amico, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. The average December total is 7.5 inches, and last year Olympia saw 9.35 inches of precipitation. The driest December on record is 2.5 inches, a total this December isn’t on pace to reach.
“We do not have any big storms on the horizon,” D’Amico said. “We do have some precipitation, but nothing super-heavy.” The Weather Service’s forecast calls for a chance of rain every day through Christmas Day.
And though the region is in a La Nina weather pattern, a constant ridge of high pressure has been deflecting storms, giving the region quiet and stable weather.
“This time of the year … it just means not only dry but keeps the cooler air denser and dropped in the lowlands,” D’Amico said.
That cooler air has made this December the fifth-coldest on record so far, with temperatures in Olympia more than 4 degrees below normal through last week, according to the NWS.
The region’s weather is generally more active this time of the year, and the stable high pressure means less mixing of the air and lower temperatures that have led to burn bans in the region. D’Amico said burn bans aren’t common in December.
NO WHITE CHRISTMAS
D’Amico said that despite the slow start to winter weather, La Nina still is expected to be a player in the winter weather season, meaning lower temperatures and higher precipitation. La Nina is weather phenomenon characterized by cooler ocean temperatures, which results in increased precipitation and lower temperatures to the Northwest.
“Last year La Nina got off to a slow start … we really didn’t have anything going until January,” he said.
And for those dreaming of a white Christmas, it’s not looking good for snow.
“(There’s) nothing to indicate even if we have precipitation, that it would be cold enough to support snow to sea level,” he said.
Olympia has had snow on the ground on Christmas Day in recent years, but D’Amico said the last time Olympia recorded snowfall on Christmas was 1990.
Nate Hulings: 360-754-5476
nhulings@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/outsideoly
