El Nino Could Worsen Drought in Washington State

As if it wasn't bad enough facing mandatory watering schedules, potential shortages for growers and other water related issues, now a common weather pattern could make the 2015 drought even tougher.

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the weather phenomenon known as El Nino has been building strength since March, and there's an 80% chance it's weather patterns will persist for the rest of the year.

One researcher described it as a bathtub full of warm water that rocks back and forth, interacting with the atmosphere.  El Nino produces warmer than usual ocean conditions and major currents that end up bringing drier seasons to North America.

El Nino, say researchers, is also partly responsible for less spring snowfall in the mountains of the Northwest.

A drier season in the mountains means less rainfall, which would normally help offset the lack of snowpack.  While rain cannot replace what the snow provides for lakes and collection basins,  it does help provide some drought relief.  El Nino appears to be making that less of a possibility - making our drought more severe.