GENERAL OUTLOOK

December 1, 2000

Precipitation and Temperature Summary

Pacific northwest mean temperatures departed -4.3 degrees from normal relative to 1961-1990 normals (31 stations). Mean temperature departures ranged from -9.6 to 1.0 degrees.

The month of November was generally drier than normal, while temperatures were typically below normal.

Increasingly active Pacific disturbances did finally start pushing substantive precipitation into westside basins around and after Thanksgiving, but overall little hydrologic priming occurred through much of early to mid November as a series of frequent but weak disturbances produced only light precipitation focused mostly into westside basins. The dominant characteristic of interspersed

drier periods was the positioning of offshore high pressure ridging, leaving the region under the influence of cold northwesterly flow.

No record high temperatures were reported during the month of November.

Record low temperatures reported during the month of November occurred on the 18th, 19th, and 22nd. On the 18th, the following records were broken, 24 at Portland, 21 at Eugene, and 20 at Salem. On the 19th, 20 at Eugene. On the 20th, 20 at Eugene. Elko Nevada reported their coldest ever average mean temperature of 25.8 degrees.

No daily precipitation records were broken during the month of November.

For November, precipitation is:

43 percent of normal (1961-1990) at Columbia above Coulee,

48 percent of normal at the Snake River above Ice Harbor, and

49 percent at Columbia above The Dalles.

For the water supply season, precipitation is:

64 percent of normal (1961-1990) at Columbia above Coulee,

105 percent of normal at the Snake river above Ice Harbor, and

74 percent at Columbia above The Dalles.