A better spring weather forecast for the PNW, but....

Farm and Ranch February 4, 2009 Last November Dr. Art Douglas of Creighton University told the Washington Association of Wheat Growers Convention he was expecting a pretty dry spring in the Pacific Northwest leading into a dry summer. The Professor Emeritus of the Atmospheric Science Department had better news for farmers with a new forecast he delivered Tuesday at the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum in Spokane. Douglas: “After a fairly good, wet start to a cold winter, which is very common with La Nina in the northwest, as we drift toward El Nino precipitation then in the northwest may actually be able to pick up again after a dry January, first part February here. So maybe we will see some renewed moisture towards the end of the spring.” Douglas says spring precipitation and temperatures could be normal. He and Australian weather officials, although not U.S. government forecasters, expect an El Nino to form, which Douglas says would mean a cool PNW summer but potential drought this coming fall and winter. Douglas; “Quite warm water out in the west. It may be released as the trade winds die down, this piled up water in the western Pacific could move back which could favor then an El Nino event come the fall.” In addition to warm water in the western Pacific, Douglas says a large warm water pool creeping towards the coast of California can also add to El Nino conditions creating what he called a moderate event similar to that of 1997. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.