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 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