Gray skies and drizzle marked a return to normalcy in Northwest skies on Friday, with temperatures back in the 60s after an extraordinarily hot week that broke multiple records and caused a rapid meltdown of snow in the mountains.
KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass says the weekend will bring more of the same, with mild temps and potential for lots of late April showers.
Rainy Start To The Weekend
“Everything has changed,” Mass said, observing lots of clouds and heavy rain on the coast on Friday morning. “And showers will move in later in the day – certainly by dinnertime, some of them substantial, moving into the Puget Sound region.”
Saturday: ‘Quite A Decent Day’
He says Saturday will be the best day of the weekend for outdoor pursuits.
“Not much rain, a few sprinkles maybe, clouds but a few breaks and temperatures getting up into the lower 60s, quite a decent day,” he said.
But then, later in the day, he says an upper-level trough will approach and rain will develop overnight, Saturday to Sunday.
Expect A Soggy Sunday
Sunday morning there will be showers and the will continue on Sunday, particularly on the western side of the Cascade Mountains.
“So a hike might be a little soggy on Sunday,” Mass said, with temperatures only in the low to mid-60s.
Next week, he says it looks like a weak ridge will come in and brighten things up a bit.
“Maybe a few sprinkles, but mainly dry and temperatures in the lower 60s. So – a major change from last week, where 70s and 80s were the rule,” Mass said.
For a discussion of those record temps, the dynamics that pushed them to the all-time highs and what it did to our snowpack, you can click on the “play” icon at the top of this post.
The weekly KPLU feature ‘Weather with Cliff Mass’ airs every Friday at 9 a.m. immediately following ‘BirdNote’, and twice on Friday afternoons during ‘All Things Considered’. The feature is hosted by KPLU 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 a podcast of ‘Weather with Cliff Mass’ shows.
