WASHINGTON — Aside from a few showers nearer the coast, expect a mainly dry Tuesday with milder temperatures. But rain arriving Wednesday night is likely to be just the start of a very soggy change in our weather pattern.
The rain arrives with blustery winds too by Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
Snow levels will fall to around 5,000 feet with this system, so we shouldn’t have significant travel issues at the lower mountain passes. Showers will taper Thursday afternoon with a little sunshine possible, followed by a drier spell Thursday night.
Some more generally light rain is likely to return Friday, followed by some drier periods to start the weekend. However, another round of rain will move in late Saturday into Sunday.
The fast-moving nature of these weather systems means we’ll likely see some changes in the exact timing as we go through the week. Temperatures will stay above average through the weekend with highs mainly in the upper 50s and lows in the 40s.
After a notably dry October, the calendar has flipped to November, and this is typically when Western Washington really starts getting into the heart of the rainy season.
November is normally our wettest month of the year, so increasingly frequent and stronger Pacific weather systems are exactly what we’d expect this time of year.
And there are signs that the pattern could become considerably wetter as we head deeper into the month.
While we’re still too far out for specifics, forecast guidance is pointing toward a pattern change next week that could open the door to heavier rainfall across the Pacific Northwest.
There is even the potential for an atmospheric river-type setup sometime next week (the week of November 8), which could bring a period of more significant rain to parts of the region.
Exactly where the heaviest rain sets up, how long it lasts and whether we see any flooding concerns won’t become clear until we get closer.
But after the relatively quiet and dry weather we experienced during much of October, November may be ready to remind us very quickly that it is our wettest month on the calendar.
We’ll track the pattern closely on KIRO 7, especially for potential atmospheric-river moisture and any periods of impactful rainfall as the forecast comes into better focus.