October 19, 2022

Forecast : October 19th, 2022

Happy Hump Day Huskies!

After clearing up a bit, our air quality has gotten worse yet again. Most sensors close to campus are reading air quality values in the unhealthy category, with slightly better air quality readings to our west, and worse air quality to our east. In and around the Cascades where most of the fires are burning, there are widespread air quality readings in the very unhealthy, to hazardous category.

On today’s satellite imagery you can see smoke clearly streaming west from the many ongoing fires in the Cascades right now.

Smoke will gradually improve over the next two days as our persistent ridge weakens and more typical fall weather finally comes our way. For now, an air quality alert remains in place for the entirety of western Washington.

With only 0.01 inches of rain falling so far this month, its certainly been a slow start to our wet season. These abnormally dry conditions have caused moderate drought to return to western Washington.

Thankfully, rain will return Friday morning and increase in steadiness and intensity as the day continues.

Overnight Friday the rain will be moderate at times, with around a half an inch falling by Saturday morning.

Rain will lighten up Saturday, but showers will remain in place for the rest of the weekend and into next week.

Besides becoming wetter, we’ll also cool down significantly over the next couple days. Highs this weekend will hover around the mid 50s, with lows dropping into the low to mid 40s. It’ll be a very dramatic change after we shattered heat records Sunday with a high of 88.

Models are indicating that our rainy weekend, may turn into a fairly persistent wet pattern for the foreseeable future. Its too early to tell, but its possible that we switch from one extreme to the other, becoming too wet as we approach November, the climatologically wettest month of the year. For now though, we can look forward to smoky skies ending, and it finally feeling like Fall in time for Halloween!

Have a great rest of your week and go Dawgs!

Reach forecaster Conor Finneran at theuwdawgcast@uw.edu