April 25, 2022

Forecast: April 25th, 2022 (Afternoon)

By Raphael Bakin

Hello Huskies! 

Welcome to week five! (I know, already?!?)

I know many of you non-ATMS-majors had a lot of fun last weekend with the clear skies and temperatures above 60 degrees. Any reduction in visibility you saw was actually the result of wildfires in Asia (yep, the atmosphere is quite interconnected, even over long distances). Now here comes the annoying part of the forecast: that stretch of sun with those increased temperatures will seem like a distant memory. (Sorry).

Most of this week will feature clouds with some light showers, with temperatures reaching the mid 50s during the day and falling to the mid 40s at night. Some areas may receive occasional sun-breaks in this cloudy and rainy stretch, but those sun-breaks will be short-lived. However, there is a chance that this mundane pattern features something quite unusual on Tuesday: thunderstorms. (To be clear, these thunderstorms don’t look that strong; meteorologists from other parts of the country would laugh at us.)

These thunderstorms are made possible by the fact that we have a stronger sun in April than in previous months, which can heat the ground more, but the atmosphere is still cold from winter. The most likely area for thunderstorms is – you guessed it – the Puget Sound Convergence Zone in southern Snohomish County. If you are going to be near there tomorrow afternoon, be prepared for brief bursts of heavy rain, small hail, and even potentially lightning. 

Let’s hope the statement “April showers bring May flowers” holds. 

These forecasts (cloudy with a little light rain, with similar temperatures) are starting to sound… like… a…. broken… record.

Anyway, have a great week, Huskies, and good luck on your midterms!