March 15, 2023

Another spring fake out? Sunshine ahead, but for how long?

Last updated 12:00 PM, Wednesday, March 15th, 2023

By Olivia Lee and Abi King

Happy Wednesday Huskies! 

We hope this lovely weather we’ve been having has made finals week a little more bearable! Schatzie is here to bring the good news that sunshine is here to stay for the remainder of finals week even with temperatures nearing a ‘toasty’ 60 degrees this Friday.

This morning met Washginton with some familiar showers along with a small convergence zone that brought rain to King county and left Stephen’s Pass with a few inches of snow. For lucky huskies who have finished finals and are preparing to travel across the mountains for Spring break, there are still possibilities for snow until 2 PM and freezing levels are expected to drop to 1000ft late tonight. However, today will be the last day of precipitation until Saturday, allowing for a nice travel window for the end of the week. Currently, WSDOT is reporting that the passes have been primarily bare apart from moisture leftover from this morning’s precipitation. For up to date information on pass conditions and travel advisories, check out their website: https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/mountainpasses. 

After the remainder of this morning’s showers fizzle out, a high pressure system generated by this upper level ridge will ward off clouds and usher in some sun to end winter quarter on a happy note! We will finally start to see temperatures rising above 50 degrees with Friday peaking 4 degrees above average at a solid 58 degrees. This will be a welcome and much needed change as nearly the entire month of February and the start of March has been consistently below average temperatures. In fact, yesterday, March 5th, and March 7th were the only days at or above average high temperatures since February 13th. How is that for a little celebration after final exams?

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and the rain will make its return on Sunday. An upper level trough and a surface front will pass through the area on Sunday, bringing with it wet and gusty conditions. Seattle will see an accumulation of 0.09 inches of rain on Sunday while the coast will get a few tenths of an inch. The temperatures will follow suit as they drop to the mid-40s. While spring is trying its best to fight through that stubborn winter weather, next week is looking like a mixed bag with some models showing more chances for sunshine while others hint at overcast and rainy weather…So enjoy the sun while it lasts! 

Good luck with the rest of your finals and make sure to get outside and soak up that sun!