SEATTLE — The National Weather Service says Seattle has broken a record for winter rainfall with more than a week left in the season.
The total of 22.78 inches of rain recorded at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport since the beginning of December beat the previous record of 22.77 inches set in 1998-1999, by a smidge.
“The little bit of rain we got yesterday was just enough to put us over,” said meteorologist Andy Haner, who points out that there are 11 days left in February including an already wet Friday. Saturday is expected to be dry, but rain is forecast for Sunday.
More than 11 inches of rain fell in December alone, with only three days that month that did not have measurable precipitation: Dec. 29-31.
“December definitely got us on the way to that record,” Haner said. But January and February were also wetter than usual. “It’s definitely a trend.”
This winter also been warmer than usual in Seattle. The airport, which is the official weather station for the city of Seattle, has recorded only seven nights below freezing since the beginning of December far below the average of 20 days from December to February, Haner said.
This has also been one of the few winters on record with no measurable snow in Seattle, said Haner.
There has been enough cold air to bring snow to the mountains, with the most snow falling in December and the ski resorts welcoming visitors throughout the winter months, in contrast to last winter.
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