Droughtless in Seattle

It’s been both interesting and frightening watching the drought unfold across the country this spring and summer. It’s a very serious situation, and may be a harbinger and an affirmation of climate change. I believe it is.

Has it dawned on anyone else that the dry, hot summer the rest of the country has suffered through is exactly like what we Californians endure most years? Could it be the rest of the country will soon share our Mediterranean climate, of relatively wet, warm winters and summers of drought? Now THAT’s something to mull.

Of course, our West Coast climate is changing, too. Spring seems to arrive and leave sooner than in years past. The winter and spring rains seem to fall torrentially, rather than a few days here, followed by a few days to soak in, and on and on. And the often-sparse Sierra snowpack melts sooner in the year.

But because we in the West are adapted to our summer-drought cycle, we have built a good system of water storage to catch those spring rains and snowmelt. The Midwest, South and East Coast do not have this same system. No need when you usually have plenty of summer rain that soaks into the soil and keeps the rivers running high.

A recent family vacation to Seattle was an eye-opener for me. While there, I saw nightly news video of the drought-ravaged Midwest. Even the mighty Mississippi River was too low for some maritime traffic. Graphics were aired showing the extent of the drought. About the only place on the map of the continental U.S. that was not in drought was western Washington State (including Seattle), which has had an unusually wet and cool summer.

Maybe we should have looked at property while we were there. I could see a land rush happening in the region; it’s where most of the water is.

No drought worries in lush, water-filled Century Square in downtown Seattle. Katie, Christopher and Emelyn Rico of Vacaville visited there recently. (Photo by Kathy Thomas-Rico)

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