The function of the State Climatologist is to collect, disseminate, and interpret climate data. This web site provides links to sources of climate data and seasonal forecasts for the state of Washington. Most data on the site are available for free; a charge may apply for additional data or interpretation, or for testimony in a legal case.

The Office of Washington State Climatologist (OWSC) is called by the State of Washington to serve as a credible and expert source of climate and weather information for state and local decision makers and agencies working on drought, flooding, climate change, and other related issues. When interpreting climate information or analysis, OWSC will rely foremost on peer-reviewed literature and on best practices, sometimes consulting with other experts as needed, and is willing to revise public statements in light of solid new analysis or information. Our on-going goal is to provide information to the public that is reliable and meets the highest quality standards.

Links to our most popular utilities can be found at the bottom of this page. A complete list, as well as links to quality outside data sources, can be found in the Climate Data tab.

2/8/2010:

The February edition of the OWSC newsletter is available for download.
Topics include:
- January climate summary
- Discussion of January warm temperatures
- A snowpack update
- 2009 in review
- Temperature and precipitation outlook

The outlook has been updated.

1/19/2010:

Our Mountain Snowdepth Plotting tool had been malfunctioning, and was not updated for the 2009-2010 snow season. It is now fixed! Please report any problems to us if they arise.

1/13/2010:

The Fun Climate Facts information has been updated.

The page devoted to monitoring precipitation near the Howard Hanson Dam has been updated frequently and will continue to do so. It can be found linked on our Climate Events page, and also here.

7/13/2009:

Philip Mote, our WA State Climatologist, has moved on to become the director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute located at Oregon State University. He is also the OR State Climatologist, and a Professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. OWSC would like to congratulate him on his new position, as well as thank him for his dedication to our operation. University of Washington's College of Environment is working on finding a replacement.

Climate Inventory Maps - Find climate and weather data from various weather station networks throughout the state.

N.W. Temperature, Precipitation, & SWE Trend Analysis - Use the Google Maps interface to plot stations represented by circles, which are scaled and color coded based on trend. Click on a station or circle to view the corresponding graph.

Mountain Snow Depth Plotting Tool - Create plots of seasonal and monthly snow depth for 11 sites around WA and part of Oregon. Many options are available including the option to compare snow depth based on ENSO.

Precipitation Rankings - Rank annual, water year, and seasonal precipitation totals for various WA cities.

MODIS Cloud Fraction - Using MODIS satellite observations, generate Washington maps of monthly cloud fraction.

WA Cloud Cover - Daily and monthly cloud Cover Data for 25 sites around Washington.

Streamflow Station Map - Ecology and USGS Washington streamflow station map.

NCDC Data File Cleanup Utility - Remove unnecessary items from NCDC daily and monthly datasets.

State Tour Pictures - Pictures of various COOP and USHCN weather stations around southwest Washington.