March 31, 2021

Forecast: March 31st, 2021

By Preston Donion

Happy Wednesday, Huskies!

As we reach the middle of the first week of the new quarter, it looks like our effort (and patience in listening through syllabus after syllabus) will be rewarded with a beautiful day complete with perhaps the highest temperature of the year so far! 

We’ll top out just over 60° in most places close to the Sound, and very mild winds won’t steal away that long-awaited warmth, so today should be a perfect day to get out and enjoy some fresh air after your Zoom obligations!

Unfortunately, this week has not given us an exciting upward trend in temperatures and sunshine as we move towards the weekend; the opposite is actually what we’ll get for the first few days of April. The bottom line is that Friday and Sunday look to be showery and perhaps outright rainy across the region, and significantly cooler than the surrounding days. For those of you celebrating Easter this weekend, perhaps Saturday may be better for any outdoor brunch or egg hunts!

As Murphy’s Law dictates, as soon as we return to school and work, so too returns the sun. The start of next week looks mild and dry, and with some luck, perhaps that trend will continue! I can’t guarantee anything, but after last Sunday, I wouldn’t exactly say March went out like a lamb as it’s supposed to, so perhaps April will continue the renegade trend and largely buck the “April showers” cliché and bring us some more consistent spring-like days! That may only mean sunny skies this year, as cooler Pacific sea surface temperatures indicate the lingering presence of La Nina, and thus generally cooler temperatures for us in the Pacific Northwest over the next several months, but it can’t hurt to hope!

Good luck with the rest of week one, and we’ll keep you updated on the weekend ahead!

Reach forecaster Preston Donion at theuwdawgcast@uw.edu. Twitter: @prestondonion

TODAY’S HIGHS	THE WEEK AHEAD