El Niño in Seattle
During El Niño, Seattle gets on average 22% less rain in March–May than in neutral years (252 mm vs 321 mm).
Weather in Seattle: next 7 days
Seattle
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Weather forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated every hour. For official warnings, follow your national weather service.
El Niño is active right now: the El Niño columns show what Seattle typically sees in this phase.
Monthly rainfall by phase
El NiñoNeutralLa Niña
Month by month
| Month | El Niño | Neutral | La Niña | Change El Niño | Temp. El Niño / neutral |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 192 mm | 158 mm | 173 mm | +21% | 4.8 / 3.6 °C |
| February | 117 mm | 130 mm | 121 mm | -9% | 5.7 / 4.4 °C |
| March | 117 mm | 144 mm | 118 mm | -19% | 7.6 / 6.9 °C |
| April | 82 mm | 105 mm | 77 mm | -22% | 9.8 / 9.0 °C |
| May | 53 mm | 72 mm | 87 mm | -27% | 13.9 / 12.6 °C |
| June | 49 mm | 54 mm | 74 mm | -8% | 15.7 / 15.2 °C |
| July | 24 mm | 25 mm | 24 mm | -7% | 18.2 / 17.9 °C |
| August | 43 mm | 27 mm | 25 mm | +59% | 18.6 / 18.2 °C |
| September | 54 mm | 53 mm | 57 mm | +2% | 15.4 / 15.2 °C |
| October | 108 mm | 130 mm | 122 mm | -17% | 11.0 / 10.5 °C |
| November | 178 mm | 183 mm | 223 mm | -3% | 6.7 / 6.1 °C |
| December | 189 mm | 168 mm | 182 mm | +12% | 4.4 / 3.2 °C |
NASA POWER (MERRA-2), 1981–2025, classified by NOAA ONI. Averages, not a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
How does El Niño affect Seattle?
During El Niño, Seattle gets on average 22% less rain in March–May than in neutral years (252 mm vs 321 mm).
And La Niña?
In March–May, La Niña years average 282 mm, compared with 321 mm in neutral years.
Where does this data come from?
Monthly rainfall and temperature from NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1981–2025) at 47.61, -122.33, classified by NOAA's Oceanic Niño Index for each month. These are averages; each event is different.