February 23, 2024

Pattern Shift Expected This Weekend

Last updated 12:00 PM, Friday, February 23rd, 2024

By Kyra Schlezinger

Happy Friday, Huskies!

Have you been enjoying the sunny and spring-like weather? I know I have! It will be another beautiful day today, with mostly sunny skies and a high just over 50. Clouds will move into the area during the evening hours, with overnight lows in the low 40s in the Seattle area.

 

Enjoy the sunny weather while you can, as we have a pattern shift in store for the weekend. Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a shower or two possible, but it will definitely be the better day for outdoor activities. A cold front will be arriving in western Washington Sunday afternoon, bringing rainy and windy conditions.

Unlike last weekend, where the winds were contained to the western slopes of the Cascades, all of the Seattle metro will see gusty winds Sunday afternoon. Most areas around Seattle will see wind gusts in the mid-30s! This makes Sunday afternoon a great time to stay inside and get ahead on any finals prep (which are 2 weeks away already!).

This initial frontal system will not bring a lot of rain, Seattle appears to be in the Olympic rain shadow. By Monday morning, Seattle will see about 0.2 inches of rain, with the highest totals expected up north in Bellingham. This system will bring some much-needed snow to the mountains, with snow levels dropping to below pass levels by Sunday night. A winter storm watch has been issued for the Cascades from late Saturday night to Monday morning. Snow levels will continue to drop throughout the day Monday, but should keep precipitation as mostly rain here and anywhere below about 500 feet.

Looking ahead to next week, the rain continues for the foreseeable future. Another set of frontal systems arrive Tuesday into Wednesday. As of right now, there’s no rain-less days expected through next week. As always, we’ll keep you posted if anything changes. Have a great weekend!

 

Reach forecaster Kyra Schlezinger at theuwdawgcast@gmail, on Twitter @TheUWDawgcast, or on Instagram @uwdawgcast.