We will be seeing a lot of rain into Thursday with the expectation of flooding in certain parts of Western Washington. And the tropical air that has moved into the region brought a record breaking high temperature for Tuesday night as well.
"At SeaTac, it was highest minimum temperature any time in November," KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass said. "Now that's a pretty big record."
The warmer weather has had a big impact on the snow in the mountains. The freezing level on Tuesday rose to 10,000 feet, which means all the ski areas were hit by warm temperatures, strong winds and heavy rains.
"That is death for snow," Mass said.
A lot of snow melted Tuesday, many ski areas were forced to close temporarily, and a lot of the snow pack was lost in the lower elevations.
"We've had a setback, and as temperatures cool over the next few days, I think the snow level is going to drop to probably 4,000 feet, so we'll see some snow coming back," Mass said. "But the base now is concrete, I'm afraid."
Those cooler temperatures will move back into the region by Friday, and he says we should get a break from the rain. But that will change by the time we get to Saturday.
"Another atmospheric river comes in, unfortunately, so we get another shot of precipitation on Saturday. It looks like there'll be a break late Saturday into Sunday morning. And then another system comes in late on Sunday, and this one might even bring some wind," he said.
Weather with Cliff Mass airs at 9:02 a.m. Friday, right after BirdNote, and twice on Friday afternoons during All Things Considered. The feature is hosted by KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp. Cliff Mass is a University of Washington professor of atmospheric sciences, a renowned Seattle weather prognosticator, and a popular weather blogger. You can also subscribe to podcasts of Weather with Cliff Mass shows, via iTunesor Google Play.
