2016 was wetter in Spokane than last year. Meteorologists think this winter is on track to being a bit snowier as well.
Spokane has received 18.3 inches of precipitation so far this year, about two inches more than average. Meteorologist Matt Fugazzi of the National Weather Service says the year was actually drier than normal until October, the wettest month on record, when Spokane received more than six inches of rain.
“After a winter that was a little bit above normal precipitation, we had a dry late spring and summer, but then made up for it in the fall, and now we're again on track during the winter,” Fugazzi said.
As far as specific snowfall, since November, Spokane has received 22.3 inches. That’s 2.3 inches more than average and Fugazzi expects that trend to continue into the new year.
“Currently we are in a La Nina pattern, which features above normal precipitation for us," he said. "However were going to be transitioning out of that into a more neutral pattern in the next few months. Despite that we may be on track for normal snowfall, maybe even above normal snowfall here in the valleys.”
While Fugazzi says there were fewer major wind or thunderstorms this year than last (such as the November 2015 windstorm) there were a few unusual weather events in the summer of 2016 in eastern Washington: tornadoes. “On July 22nd we had two. One was in Douglas County, and one of them was in Airway Heights. And August 9th we had another one in Airway Heights.”
Fugazzi says those tornadoes were the weakest variety to touch down, classified as EF-0 tornadoes with wind speeds of 65-85 miles an hour. No damage was reported from any of those small tornadoes.
