By Conrad Swanson, Seattle Times

Despite recent rainfall most of Washington still suffers from drought and climatologists say the months ahead aren’t likely to offer much relief.

The entire state is forecast to remain warmer than normal and much of the state east of the Cascades is likely to see below-average precipitation between now and January, according to the latest seasonal outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Around the first of the year, El Niño conditions are expected to begin pushing warm, tropical air into the Pacific Northwest, worsening the state’s warm and dry spell, Washington state climatologist Nick Bond said.

The effects of the current drought might not be immediately apparent, especially in Western Washington, but the symptoms can be seen in below-average stream flows, low reservoir levels and dry soil moistures, Bond said.

Measuring drought amounts to more than “how wet your socks are,” Bond said.

Drought conditions are likely to be compounded over the winter months, Bond said, spelling trouble for next year.