Saturday will be a day everyone in Washington — from west to east — will want to be weather-aware as a disturbance we’ve been tracking for days moves across the region.
This will provide enough lift for a few thunderstorms, some with little or no wetting rainfall.
Lightning could spark new wildfires, and a Red Flag Warning is out for the Olympics, Cascades, and all points east in the state.
From overnight into Saturday morning, the focus for potential thunderstorm activity will be in western Washington, mainly along and west of Puget Sound.
Any thunderstorms that develop will mainly move south to north at a pretty good clip, not stopping in any one spot long enough to produce significant rainfall.
Gusty winds will also be a threat around any thunderstorm activity.
By afternoon, the focus for storms turns to the Cascades with more lightning and gusty winds, as well as the eastern slopes into eastern Washington. There will still be an outside risk of a thunderstorm mainly north near the Canadian border in Western Washington, as well as the Olympics.
By Saturday evening, the disturbance and the chance for lightning and thunder will exit into British Columbia.
Lightning could spark new wildfires, and a Red Flag Warning is out for the Olympics, Cascades, and all points east in the state. The potential for new fire starts will last beyond Saturday as small fires and embers at locations struck by lightning can smolder for many days before igniting a new wildfire.
Make sure to have a plan to get to shelter if camping, hiking, or spending time outdoors on Saturday across the region. Also, the KIRO 7 Pinpoint Weather App is a good resource for real-time radar and lightning strike information.
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