Strong wind gusts likely late Tuesday night

We are in a relative lull in the rain and wind for the next couple hours, but after about 9 p.m., winds will start to ramp up at the coast and by around 11 p.m., it will get windy around the Sound. Most locations will have wind gusts over 35 mph and there is increasing chance for wind gusts to commonly hit 40-50 mph, particularly near water and on hilltops. Winds could be even stronger north/west of Everett and at the coast. Tree damage and power outages are probable with winds this strong.

There’s a slight chance for even stronger wind gusts, so we will be monitoring on KIRO 7.

Some good news is the stronger winds will occur at or near low tide (around 11 tonight) and will be calming down Wednesday before high tide at 6 a.m.

Rain will increase by mid-evening and it will be an absolute soaker heading into the overnight hours. Expect another half-inch to one inch of rain around the Sound. Urban flooding will be an issue with this rain, like we saw last night and this morning. The landslide threat will continue for some days to come.

River flooding is occurring or will occur on many rivers with the Snoqualmie at Carnation and the Skokomish River in Mason County getting to moderate flood stage. The Cowlitz near Randle probably will also get to moderate flood stage. Most other rivers will get to minor flood stage into Wednesday before receding.

Snow will pick up overnight at the mountain passes but taper after daybreak Wednesday. Another 2-5 inches of snow will come to the passes later tonight after snow levels fall as cooler air moves in.

After showers end in the morning, we’ll have some sun by afternoon. Thursday looks dry with some light rain moving in Thursday night and Friday morning. Then late Friday through Saturday is mainly dry with a few showers around Sunday. The MLK, Jr. holiday Monday looks mainly dry with a shower chance Tuesday.

Beyond that, it appears sharply colder weather will settle in from the end of next week through at least the start of February – the coldest days of the winter are ahead of us. While it’s too far away to accurately forecast lowland snow, it is looking promising for those wanting a snow day(s), so stay tuned.

Cox Media Group