Goodbye wet fall; hello wet winter

By Matt Batcheldor | The Olympian • Published December 21, 2007

OLYMPIA – Love it or hate it, it's here.

Winter.

In the dead of night at 10:08 today, it unceremoniously arrives. And tomorrow will be the shortest day of the year. The sun won't rise until 7:55 a.m. and will set a scant eight and a half hours later, at 4:25 p.m., according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.

The winter solstice is today, ushering in a season that's expected to be wetter than normal, with temperatures close to normal, said Ted Buehner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Blame La Nina.

"It's when sea surface temperatures are colder than normal in the eastern and central Pacific oceans," he said. The meteorological phenomenon causes the tropical weather patterns to shift and the jet stream to jet moisture over our home sweet homes.

Outdoorsmen (and women), rejoice. A heavier-than-normal snowpack is expected, which is good news for skiers and snowboarders. And when the snow melts, it will make for active rivers for water enthusiasts this summer and fall, Beuhner said.

The effects of La Nina already have been felt. There were three windstorms this fall — Oct. 18, Nov. 12 and in early December.

Beuhner said to expect a couple of lowland snows this winter, too. "We still have a long ways to go for the rest of this winter," he said. "If folks aren't prepared now, they best get prepared."

It's time to pack a car emergency kit: food, water, blankets, emergency supplies, flares, flashlights, extra batteries and a radio. And make sure your tires have plenty of tread.

Some people at Percival Landing on a rare sunny day Thursday shared what winter meant to them.

"It means to me it's closer to Christmas," said Carol Fowles, who with her husband, Noel, call themselves "the Christmas Couple." They live in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and stopped in South Sound on their way to Portland. But she admitted about the Northwest's winters, "they're hard to deal with, especially with the rain and the wind."

Greg Ostrom of Lacey, a YMCA staff member, participates in camps and sports during the winter.

"We just try to keep active," he said.