EVERETT — For Snohomish County, 2014 was one of the wettest, warmest years on record, according to the National Weather Service.
Paine Field is on track for its fourth wettest year since the 1940s, said meteorologist Johnny Burg, noting that December rainfall can’t be tallied yet.
By the end of November, Darrington recorded nearly 94.6 inches of rain — nearly eight feet. That puts it on track for its 17th wettest year on record, Burg said.
Only two measurable snowfalls were reported in the lowlands of the county in 2014, in February and again on Thanksgiving weekend. Up to seven inches of snow were seen in some places in the February event, Burg said.
In Oso, heavy rains were believed to have contributed to the March 22 mudslide that took 43 lives, with smaller slides reported in Index, Mukilteo and Everett. A number of those slides halted passenger travel along railroad tracks bordering Puget Sound, a recurring concern here.
Meanwhile, additional monitoring gauges remain in service on the North Fork Stillaguamish River in the area of the Oso slide. The debris from the slide changed the river’s path, and the effect on future flooding remains unclear.
In Index, a mudslide cut off access to a small private community until a new bridge was built this summer. That slide started in December but continued into 2014.
In May, an out-of-season storm dropped 3.4 inches of rain in Marysville, causing flooding.
As of mid-December, annual daily temperatures in Western Washington hovered around 55 degrees. Less than a quarter of the days in the year were colder than average, according to the Weather Service.
July and August were the hottest months. Five months — February, March, April, May and October — broke records for rainfall. No tornadoes or significant wildfires were recorded in Snohomish County, though local crews helped fight devastating blazes in Eastern Washington.
At least eight serious windstorms happened across the region, though.
This week is expected to be sunny and cold through New Year’s Day. Earlier forecasts of snow this weekend have turned to clouds and rain.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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