Keep the sunglasses and shorts handy. More bright blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in the mid to high 70s are in store this weekend and beyond, with the exception of on Mother’s Day.
“Lots of sun, just a few clouds, but nothing much — perfect,” said KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass.
On Saturday, a ridge will build and cause temperatures to surge all the way up into the upper 70s.
“And remember, we’re only supposed to be in the lower 60s this time of year,” Mass said. “So it’s gonna be very warm, lots of sun,” he said.
On Sunday, just in time for Mother’s Day, things go downhill because of an upper trough passing to our north, starting Saturday evening. That will push cooler ocean air into the region.
“We’re going to get a surge of marine air on Saturday night, so Sunday unfortunately is going to be cloudy, much cooler,” said Mass, adding that highs will only reach the lower to mid 60s.
Mass says there could also be a few sprinkles on Sunday, particularly on the windward slopes of the Cascades. He advises hikers to beware, they could get a bit damp on trails around North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass. But he says it won’t be serious.
“A few sprinkles, nothing heavy,” said Mass.
But the cool down won’t last long at all. Mass says weather maps show the”extraordinarily persistent” ridge of high pressure returns again and will push temperatures back up again, “into the mid 70s, maybe even to 80 by the time we get to Wednesday and Thursday. So, it’s all back again, we’re just stuck in this ridge pattern and it’s not going away,” Mass says.
For more discussion of how Washington temperatures have been running nearly a month ahead of schedule, making this May more like June, and the effects that is having on fire potential and snowpack, as well as the longer term forecast, 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.
