So, it’s being reported…
Forecast: Plan now for bad Puget Sound winter
The Associated PressSEATTLE – — Weather forecasters are warning Puget Sound residents to plan now for a colder, wetter and snowier winter.
A La Niña weather pattern is likely to bring nastier weather to the region, especially in late fall and early winter. The weather pattern occurs when the temperature of the ocean’s surface cools near the equator, sending storms to the Pacific Northwest.
And while the state of Washington is concerned about safety and liability…
A new program called “Take Winter by Storm” has been set up to help people get ready. It includes a website, http://www.govlink.org/storm, with advice on how to prepare. The $240,000 program is a collaboration by King County, the city of Seattle, Puget Sound Energy and State Farm insurance.
…the Mt. Baker Ski Area has created a special page on their website, giddy they are with anticipation of possible record snowfalls…and windfall profits.
WHAT HAPPENS AT BAKER IN A LA NIÑA WINTER?
Most notably, the World Record winter of 1998-99 was a La Niña winter. In just that winter, we received 1,140 inches of snowfall, which became the new World Record for the most snowfall ever recorded in a single winter anywhere on Earth.
Last year, Mt. Baker opened unusually early, thanks to plentiful snow a week into November. But then the season quickly turned rainy and slushy, until a surprise cooler and snowier early spring encore.
Personally, while I’m tempted to get my skis out and take them in for a tune-up, I’m not counting any snowflakes until they hatch!