Washington is on track to have its warmest December ever recorded, even warmer than 2023’s record-breaking month. According to Steven Reedy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, the average temperature for this December is expected to reach 45.9 degrees. That would beat the previous record of 45.5 degrees, which was set in December 2023.
This unusually warm month comes as a surprise because forecasters had predicted a cold and wet La Niña winter for the Pacific Northwest. While the cold part hasn’t fully shown up, the wet conditions definitely have.
December brought above-average rainfall to the Seattle area, largely due to three powerful atmospheric rivers. These storms dumped heavy rain across the region and caused severe flooding in several areas throughout Western Washington.
The state was actually under severe drought conditions this fall, putting Washington on track for the fifth driest year on record. The recent atmospheric rivers changed that picture quickly. While they caused damaging floods, they also helped refill rivers and reservoirs. As a result, Washington is now only 0.18 inches below its average annual rainfall.
You may have noticed the recent cold snap finally showing up in Seattle this week, with the temperature dropping to 31 degrees on the morning of Sunday, December 28. This would have have broken the record for Seattle’s latest first winter freeze if not for the fact that we already had one other 31-degree morning back on November 30.
Wondering what the weather will be like on December 31 for New Year’s Eve in Seattle? Rain is coming later in the week but it’s not expected until Thursday, which gives us hope for clear skies for NYE fireworks at Seattle Center.