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Mass: Cooler Weekend Ahead, But Don't Give Up On Summer Just Yet

Tim Durkan
"Dear Summer 2014...Don't leave us!"

It won't be long now. 

Fall is just around the corner, says KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass, and that means the holiday weekend won't be all sun. 

"We'll see a different weekend than we've been used to in the past," he said. "Temperatures are going to drop way back. No more 80s."

The first fall-like front is approaching the coast, bringing light showers — first to the coast, then inland to Puget Sound. 

Friday will kick off the weekend with temperatures in the low 70s, says Mass, and the rest of the weekend will remain cool.

Saturday will bring showers, mostly in western Washington. Want to get out of it? Cross the Cascades or head to Oregon. Don’t go to British Columbia.

Sunday will start with precipitation, then we’ll get a break, followed by more rain in the evening. 

One Last Gasp Of Summer?

But don't give up on sun and warmth completely. Mass says the Septembers of the last few decades have been pretty nice, and while we won't see the 80-degree temperatures of earlier in the summer, there might still be a few days of shorts weather still to come.

"I think there's extremely high probability that we will go back to sunnier, warmer period, but probably not as warm as we've been," Mass said. 

Hazy Daze

The wildfire season has contributed to decreasing visibility all summer. If you've flown in or out of Seattle in the last few weeks, you've probably noticed the layer of haze.

"Back in early July we had these beautiful blue skies and you could see the mountains really clearly," Mass said. "But as we got into the summer, particularly in August, it got hazier and hazier, and hazier."

Wildfires in British Columbia, Oregon and California have contributed to the haze, too.

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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.

Ed Ronco is a former KNKX producer and reporter and hosted All Things Considered for seven years.