La Nina Delivers Again: Portland’s Wettest December In Years

Better buy the t-shirt: “I survived December 2010, but my webbed feet got worse.” 

That’s right. We didn’t just imagine that this December was harder to take than most. It’s a fact. Unless you prefer days of seemingly un-ending rain. With rivers running high, we shut off the rain just in time and now we’re staying dry for the rest of the year. 

Here are three facts about Portland rain during December 2010: 

1. This was our wettest December since 1996 which was our wettest on record. So it’s been 14 years since Portland’s seen more rain than we did this month.
2. The Pineapple Express brought heavy and mild rains from near Hawaii during the first half of the month and broke rain records (see image from December 11, 2010)
3. The last week of December brought another round of record rain from the southwest. The reason the wettest storms seem to come from that direction is because warmer storms can hold more rain than colder storms can.  

This Just In: Oregon & Washington Snow Pack 

It’s been a great year for skiers and boarders.  And if you’re a farmer who needs snow melt next summer, it’s looking good for you, too. 

And just a few minutes ago I got off the phone with Jon Lea at the Soil Conservation Service. He’s the snow survey guy. Oregon snow pack is at 126% of average right now; Washington is 106% of average. But Arizona’s at 70% and New Mexico’s at 52%. Exactly what we’d expect in a La Nina winter.