Winter temperature
High confidence
Often milder
Winter / cold season
El Niño winters more often bring milder-than-average conditions to the Pacific Northwest.
Pacific Northwest
Regional historical composite · not a forecast
Historical pattern
Nawinter: less storminess and milder-than-average across the North; enhanced marine air into western N. America. Halpert: less-reliable dry signal in PNW (and northern Rockies). Snow composites: below-average snowfall PNW toward Great Lakes.
Season context: Winter / cold season
What El Niño seasons often mean in this region
Atlas composites for this region: not a city forecast.
Winter storminess
High confidence
Often less stormy
Winter / cold season
With the storm track shifted south, the northern U.S. / PNW has more often seen less stormy winters.
Cold-season precipitation
Medium confidence
Often drier (weak)
Winter / cold season
A less-reliable dry tilt vs the Gulf wet signal.
Cold-season snowfall
Medium confidence
Often less snow
Winter / cold season
Historical composites show below-average snowfall from the Pacific Northwest toward the Great Lakes.
Sources
- CPC nawinter
- Halpert
- climate.gov winter weather
- climate.gov snow composites