No Relief In Sight For Pacific Northwest - NOAA

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON - "Spring rains will provide the Pacific Northwest with only limited relief from a drought, US government forecasters said Thursday, increasing the risk of wildfires in the region.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also said in its spring weather forecast the US Southwest, extreme West and mid-Atlantic regions will get warmer-than-normal temperatures. Cooler weather and above-normal rain are forecast for western parts of the Great Lakes and the southern Plains.

NOAA warned there is no sign that drought in the Northwest and northern Rockies will ease this spring. With snowpack as much as 75 percent below normal, it will be difficult to make up the shortfall as the region's annual wet season winds down.

"Drought is a major story this spring," said Conrad Lautenbacher, NOAA administrator. "We don't see anything on the horizon in the next several months ... that will make a big difference in that area."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/29995/story.htm

[catzies]

1. Their loss is our excess. Speaking as a Southern Californian, you can have

some of our rain.

[Warpy]

2. I wish I could send some up to them

New Mexico has been soggy, soggy, soggy. It's gotten even more depressing than the drought was. I've had to hack down knee high mustard in both yards repeatedly and it needs it again after Monday's 8 inches of snow, but guess what? More rain tomorrow and Sunday.

For this I left New England?

[kineneb]

3. Rain as usual in NorCal

We seem to be getting our fair share, whatever that is. I think we are slightly over normal, but nothing like SoCal. The rain does seem to be coming in heavy clumps now; light showers for a while, then the floodgates open and we get these intense downpours. Sounds like the center of the storms is south of us, and we are getting what OR and WA usually gets.

And the dipsticks keep saying there is no climate change happening. Fooouy.