First 3 months of 2026 likely to be wet

The National Weather Service has made its predictions for the first three months of 2026, estimating a 40-50 percent chance of average levels of precipitation in the Pacific Northwest. Temperatures for the coldest months of the year will remain normal.

With 2026 being a “La Nina” year, that typically means more rainy days, said meteorologist Rebecca Muessle, who works in the National Weather Service’s Portland office. She said there’s a 33 to 40 percent probability that January, February and March will see above average rainfall.

“You never know. You have to look at the overall average,” she said.

While lower elevations were recently inundated with rain from a high-pressure system, the higher elevations in the Cascades have finally started to see snow accumulations. Muessle said several ski resorts that had been unable to open around Thanksgiving because there was so little snow were able to finally open before Christmas.

“It will be dry and cold for the next few days,” she said.

According to the National Weather Service, the Vancouver station has recorded 7.6 inches of rain in December, which is about 2.7 inches above normal. The 24-hour period that saw the most rain was Dec. 8-9, with 2.31 inches in a single day.