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Breezy Tuesday with increasing wind and rain Wednesday

SEATTLE — Heavy rain and high winds are expected this week starting Tuesday and increasing on Wednesday.

Expect rain to move in during the second half of the Tuesday morning commute, with it likely heavy in places as a cold front pushes through.

Winds of 15-25 mph will come from the south with gusts of 30-40 mph possible.   Most of the area will get break in the afternoon and evening, though showers are possible.  It will stay breezy, but won't be quite as strong once the front moves through.

Tuesday morning,  1,860 customers in the Pinehurst neighborhood in Everett lost power.

Wind, rain increasing Wednesday

A second round looks like it will move in after the Wednesday morning commute, though there’s still time for the system to speed up.  At this point, it looks like peak winds could hit late Wednesday with gusts of 40 to 50 mph.

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A High Wind Watch has been issued for Wednesday morning for northern sections of Western Washington. Isolated gusts over 50 mph are possible.

The watch affects San Juan, western Whatcom and western Skagit counties as well as the Everett and Admiralty Inlet areas and the north and central coast.

Models are inconsistent on how much rain will fall.  KIRO 7 PinPoint Meteorologist Nick Allard said there could be anywhere from 1 to 4 inches of rain in the lowlands for the Tuesday morning through Thursday.  Winds do not look unusually strong, but as it’s the first real blustery stretch of the season, leaves will fall and could block storm drains, leading to urban flooding.

We could see a few limbs and branches that break, causing localized power outages.

“Snow levels will fluctuate this week.  I expect all rain at Snoqualmie Pass, but Stevens Pass could briefly see snow Tuesday night before snow levels climb to around 8,000 feet on Wednesday.  There’s a better chance for snow down to around 4,000 feet on Friday.  With heavy rain in the mountains, rivers will be monitored for potential flooding.  Because it’s so early in the rainy season most rivers should be OK, though the Skokomish could very well see flooding,” said Allard.

Friday looks like a break from widespread rain, though showers are likely and there's  the potential for thunderstorms as we move closer to the end of the week.

Models suggest another soaking system moving in over the weekend.

Cox Media Group

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