La Nina Hits the NW and We Love the Snow

PACRATS at the Gate

You've heard a lot about "El Nina" and "La Nina" over the last several years, and may wonder about how they actually affect our snow sports in the Northwest. The pictures in this article are a very graphic illustration of what last year's La Nina meant to us: we had an almost embarrassing surplus of snow, while the Rocky Mountain area suffered a snow drought. In fact, as this article is written in late July, there is still six feet of snow at the base of the Cascade Express ski lift at Mt. Hood Meadows (Oregon) at the 5,910 foot elevation! Unfortunately for us, the reverse is generally true in El Nina years-we're the ones suffering the snow shortage then!

AKA Powder Hound Extraordinaire

La Nina is caused by a cooling of the Pacific and strong east-to-west trade winds

What causes these weather phenomena? It all starts in the Pacific Ocean, the largest body of water in the world. La Nina is caused by a cooling of the Pacific and strong east-to-west trade winds, which exaggerates the typical winter weather pattern in the Northwest, causing cooler winters that lead to above average snowfall in our mountains. This includes storminess in the Pacific Northwest and northern California; a colder winter in Alaska and western Canada, and generally drier conditions across the southern United States. El Nina is caused by the opposite conditions: unusually warm ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, a decrease or reversal of trade winds, and a stronger than normal jet stream that may split when it hits the West Coast.

How did they get named? Fishermen off the coast of South America noticed unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean, occurring near the end of the year. El Nina means "the little boy" or "Christ child" in Spanish, and the name was used for the tendency of the phenomenon to arrive around Christmas. La Nina means "the little girl"-- the "sister" of El Nina.

El Nina means "the little boy"

The prior truly strong La Nina was during the 1988-89 winter

How often do these events occur? Historically, El Nina and La Nina events have usually alternated with periods of around 2-7 years, sometimes separated by "normal" weather, with El Nina outnumbering La Nina by a factor of about 2 to 1. The prior truly strong La Nina was during the 1988-89 winter, but this last winter's La Nina has been characterized as the strongest of the last 50 years!

For "everything you always wanted to know about El Nina and La Nina but were afraid to ask," check out the website: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/el-nino/faq.html, with links to numerous sources.

The good news for us is that the Oregon Climate Service is predicting that La Nina will continue and possibly strengthen slightly during this fall and early winter, before tapering off next year. So plan on another great snow year, get your skis or snowboard tuned up early, and if you're new to these sports and have ever considered trying them, this is the year! See you on the (hopefully very snowy) slopes!!

So plan on another great snow year