As we look ahead to the long weekend in Western Washington, it’s shaping up to be a bit of a mixed bag. If you have outdoor plans, you will want to maximize the first half of the weekend. High pressure keeps us warm and dry on Saturday and much of Sunday with highs nudging up to around 70° Saturday and almost as warm Sunday in Seattle.
The first sign of impending changes Sunday will be increasing clouds late, and a strong westerly breeze increasing along the coast with the potential for gales down the Strait late in the day.
The weather whiplash arrives by Memorial Day, Monday, with increasing rain, breezy winds across the region, and sharply cooler temperatures in the 50s for most!
Memorial Day weather records
If you feel like Memorial Day weekend weather is always a gamble, you aren’t wrong. Looking back at 55 years of climate records for Seattle (since 1971), the statistics show just how unpredictable this weekend can be:
The Warmest: Our absolute warmest Memorial Day on record was May 29, 1995, when we hit a staggering 84°F. If you want the ultimate holiday weekend, that crown goes to 1972—Saturday soared to 86°F, Sunday hit a roasting 91°F, before a classic marine push cooled Monday down to a comfortable 73°F.
The Coldest & Wettest: On the flip side, May 26, 1980, holds the record for both the coldest and wettest Memorial Day. The high temperature only managed a miserable 49°F, accompanied by 0.53 inches of rain.
(It should be noted that this “coldest” Memorial Day occurred just days after the eruption of Mount St. Helens. I was able to find a front-page article from The Olympian from the following day, and it reported that mainly steam, not ash, was emitted by the volcano that Memorial Day 1980.)
How Often Does It Actually Rain?
When it comes to the full three-day stretch, a complete shutout or a complete washout are both relatively rare, though we lean heavily toward getting at least some damp weather.
Over the last 55 years:
It was completely dry at Sea-Tac Airport in 18 of those years. There was measurable rain on one of the weekend days in 16 of the years, two of the weekend days in 15 of the years, and rain was reported on all three of the weekend days in six of those years.
That last occurrence of a “weekend washout” — at least measurable rain on all three days — was back in 2010.
At least we won’t endure that this Memorial Day weekend! We’ll be monitoring the Pinpoint Futuretrack for any changes over the coming days on KIRO 7.
(Special thanks to Dana Felton at the National Weather Service Seattle forecast office for the great stats!)
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