Rare tornado hits Washington: how bad will climate change impact the Northwest?

Washington state’s weather service confirmed that a F-1 tornado (100-110 mph wind) hit down in Enumclaw, during intense thunder and lightening squalls that hovered over Western Washington the last part of Labor Day weekend. Eastern Washington usually gets 1-2 tornadoes per year, but they are rare in Western Washington. The twister caused some minor damage and completely flattened an older barn near Buckley--but no injuries.

How bad will the Pacific Northwest get clobbered by climate change?

Changing weather patterns have already started in the Pacific Northwest and will continue to get worse over the next few decades. According the climate report released by the White House on June 16, 2009—global warming is real and is caused by human activity. The Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States is the most comprehensive 197 page report done on the subject, which started in 2007 and involved the participation of 13 science and environmental groups.

The Northwest region will experience increased rain and snow in winter and hotter, dryer days in summer. The regional averaged temperature rose about 1.5 degrees during the last century and is expected to increase by up to 3-10 degrees over the next century.

The images of flooding in the Centralia/Chehalis area, which closed Interstate 5 for days during the last two winters, could become an annual scene. Long lines of trucks transporting products to Seattle were delayed for several days, losing approximately 4 million dollars a day. Record snow storms paralyzed the city of Seattle, which received massive criticism for the snow plow debacle and the reaction of a government totally unprepared for repeated back-to-back snow and ice bombardment.

The Northwest region’s water supply infrastructure was built with the expectation that water needed for summer agriculture, industrial, and recreational needs would be stored naturally in the Cascade mountain snow pack. Reduced snow pack in years to come will put a tremendous strain on the needs of the population, river flow, and food supply.

All major rivers have flooded their banks in the past two winters, causing billions of dollars in destruction and damage. Intense thunder and lightening storms knocked out power to thousands of homes in most counties through out the Western region. Some areas were without electricity for weeks at a time, creating intense hardship on entire communities.

Conversely, during the summer, wildfires have increased dramatically, due to hotter, windier conditions and the increase of tree-killer insects drawn to drier climates, which leave large swaths of dead, fire-prone trees. The acreage burned in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, could double by the year 2020, according to a study released by the University of Washington in 2007.

The summer of 2009, Washington State experienced record breaking heat. Seattle, Bellevue, and Olympia had the hottest temperatures in 118 years. The state has dedicated more funds to climate and energy research.

Aquatic ecosystems that protect salmon and steelhead will continue to degrade. Studies from the White House climate report suggest that approximately one-third of the salmon and cold water fish species will no longer have suitable habitat in which to reproduce and recover, if temperatures stay on the current path until the end of the century.

“Climate change and ocean acidification are already having major impacts on Washington,” said Senator Maria CantwellMaria Cantwell, (D-WA), “Our $100 million shellfish industry is in crisis after four years of oyster reproductive failure from ocean acidification."

The potential for species extinction will become accelerated as more native plants, animals, and biodiversity fail to adapt fast enough to habitat, precipitation, and temperature changes.

Predictions are that warmer summers will also increase power demands as air conditioning becomes imperative to human health and comfort. During the record breaking heat in Seattle this summer, Home Depot, and other suppliers, ran out of air conditioners and fans. The young and the elderly will be especially vulnerable to elements of climate change, pollution, and exposure to extreme hot and cold.

Furthermore, the White House report predicts higher sea levels in the Northwest, which would accelerate coastal erosion. The heavily populated areas of Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia, will be the most vulnerable. Also, countless coastal resort, fishing, and tourist towns like Ocean Shores, Westport, Neah Bay, and Sea Side, will eventually be in jeopardy, if global climate regulation isn’t implemented in time.

Rep. Jay InsleeRep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who recently announced energy funding for Washington has referred to the state as "the alpha and the omega of global warming.” Inslee said, “These investments will cut our national carbon emissions and keep Washington on the cutting-edge of the clean energy revolution.”

Meanwhile, the city of Olympia relocated their primary drinking water source to wells on higher ground and adjusted the plans for a new City Hall to be built at a higher location, with a one foot increase in the building’s foundation.

How bad indeed--Will Seattle ultimately become another New Orleans built over water--or will the green state of Washington evolve into another golden California?
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For photo credit run cursor over photograph * Copyright Jean Williams 2009 *