Keep that rain gear handy and brace yourselves for lots of windy skies over this weekend. The clear and stable air Friday morning is expected to be just a brief respite before the weather revs up again this weekend – though the major flooding appears to be over for now.
KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass says another big wind storm is headed our way. It won’t be nearly as wet as we’ve experienced in the past week, but the normal stormy weather pattern for this time of year is certainly in place. Beware of mudslides on some area roads as the moisture recedes.
“It’s been wet. And in fact, our region has gotten 200-400% of normal precipitation over the last 7-10 days – it’s been extraordinary, “ said Mass, who is a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington.
“Here in Seattle, we’ve gotten four and a half inches more rain than normal for the first part of December. That’s pretty substantial.”
A Mellow Friday
He says Friday will provide a bit of a break from the wild weather “from roughly Tacoma north,” as a strong low-pressure system moves south of Seattle and goes across the northern part of Oregon.
“They’re gonna get rain from roughly Olympia southward,” Mass said, adding that there will be strong winds along the Oregon coast “but we’re going to be kind of out of it.”
So expect a few showers today, but nothing serious. “A pretty benign day – much more benign than we’ve seen recently.”
Saturday: Batten Down The Hatches By Noon
Saturday, Mass says another powerful system will be approaching the Northwest.
“We’ll start off the morning fairly dry,” he said. “But then somewhere around noontime, rain is going to come into the western Washington region and it’ll get moderate during the afternoon.”
He says the low center is fairly strong and will pass north of Washington state “sometime Saturday night [or] Sunday morning.”
Expect the winds to pick up substantially when that happens, Mass says.
“So later on Saturday and into the a.m. hours on Sunday, winds could gust up to 30-50 miles per hour over the interior waters and around Seattle, so watch out for that,” he said.
Next Week: Cooler And Skiing Weather Possible
After that system moves by, Mass says expect a cooler, showery period that will extend for several days. He says this may bode well for skiers and snow-lovers wishing to escape the cities and enjoy winter sports in ski areas.
“We’ve been on the margins in many of the ski areas for having the temperatures cold enough for snow,” he said, with only a few inches in a few of the key locations.
“But next week, it’ll be sustained, cold and wet,” Mass said. “So I think they will see substantial snow.”
He says that will allow not only Stevens to be open, but he suspects Snoqualmie will get enough to finally open up as well.
“So, good for snow before the holiday season – I’m getting kind of optimistic for skiing during Christmas,” Mass said.
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.
