OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK – Because it’s April 1, we checked in with Olympic National Park Physical Scientist Bill Baccus to get his latest report on the snow pack in the mountains and get a sense of what we can expect in terms of water supply over the summer.

Baccus says the Olympics overall have about 110% of normal for this time of year, and the north slopes in particular are doing even better than that.

“In terms of the Elwha and the Dungeness Rivers we should have a good snowpack, unless it’s just a very, very unusually warm Spring and right now, you know, we look pretty good. So that’s good news locally.”

How long the snow pack is going to last largely depends on what Baccus sees in April. His May 1 report is the final word but, so far, he likes what he’s seeing.

“We’re off to a nice good start, because we’ve accumulated over a foot of snow in the last few days and we’re talking about cool temperatures for the rest of the week. So, you know, these are all good signs for snow pack. I think we’re in good shape for this year.”

Bill Baccus photo shows volunteer Jamie Michel measuring snow pack in the Upper Wolf Creek area (Elwha Drainage).