Originally published January 7, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 7, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Snowfall this season could match record
If the current weather holds out, snowfall could match the historical record set in 1998-99 when the last strong La Niña rolled in...
Seattle Times staff reporter
If the current weather holds out, snowfall could match the historical record set in 1998-99 when the last strong La Niña rolled in from the Pacific Ocean.
A half-month ago, Western Washington's snowpack was about 50 to 70 percent of normal. Since then, snowpack has jumped to 30 to 50 percent above average, which could make for a good water year at local utilities and hydroelectric plants.
"It's amazing — 1998-99 was our last really big snow season," said Garth Ferber, avalanche meteorologist for the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. "If this keeps up, we'll match that at least."
It's too early to tell, with several months still left in the season. But water experts say it's unlikely that the rain will stop and the air will turn warm in the near future.
The season has already proven the deadliest for avalanches in the state, with nine people killed or presumed dead since Dec. 1. Ferber said the death toll is unprecedented, and encouraged people heading into the snow to take precautions. That includes keeping to ridges and valley floors, avoiding steep, open slopes and packing an emergency camp. People without backcountry training should stick to controlled areas such as ski resorts, he said.
On Friday, a 13-year-old Mukilteo girl was killed while hiking with a group to Lake 22, off Mountain Loop highway near Granite Falls. Authorities have not yet released the girl's name.
"A creek bed or gully can be a killer even though it's a rather innocuous place" in a lighter snow year, Ferber said.
In an intense La Niña year, temperature patterns in the Pacific cause changes in the weather pattern. In the Pacific Northwest, temperatures drop and more precipitation falls.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center reported 224 inches of snow at Mount Baker, 184 inches at Stevens Pass, 187 inches at Snoqualmie Pass and 218 inches at Paradise on Mount Rainier.
The ski resort at Crystal Mountain said it had 30 percent more snow than usual, about 200 inches, for this time of year. Tiana Enger, spokeswoman for Crystal, said the resort has never had an avalanche or fatality in the patrolled area where they control for avalanches.
More snowpack could also be a boon for spawning salmon later this year. Tom Fox, water-resources manager for Seattle Public Utilities, said that in the utilities' last measurement, snowpack was 110 to 120 percent of normal.
Fox says the utility managers manage flow from snowmelt in the Tolt and Cedar Rivers with reservoirs, and if there's more water than the agency needs, that water is directed to fish habitats.
Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Seattle Times Fund For The Needy offers opportunity to give
Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
Danny Westneat: Bonus for supe with a B minus?
Nicole Brodeur: You have more to spare than you think you do
The Wrap | Ron Judd: Back and ready to rip through all the news

Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Real Salt Lake is handed the 2009 MLS Cup trophy at Qwest Field, November 22, 2009.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Senate vote clears hurdle
239 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
131 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
122 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
122 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
122 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
90 - Game thread
70 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
58 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
56 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
52
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors





