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Mostly Sunny This Labor Day Weekend; Rain Likely Sunday

Tim Durkan Photography
A mix of sun and clouds are typical for Seattle skies in early September

If your plans for the long Labor Day weekend include outdoor activities, be ready for a chance of rain on Sunday. Other than that, it will be mostly sunny and warm, says KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass.

“There will be a lot of sun. But one day will be cloudy and maybe a little bit of rain and that’s Sunday,” Mass said.  

Keep That Raingear Handy Friday

Friday morning’s residual clouds were burning off by afternoon, leaving the lowlands basking in plenty of sun. Mass warned of fewer sun breaks in the mountains.  

“I’m afraid there could be those towering cumulous and even some showers in the mountains later this afternoon,” he said.  “So people have to watch out for that. If they’re going hiking, they could get wet in the mountains.”

Sunny And Warm On Saturday, Low Pressure Sunday

Mass said Saturday will be the best day of the weekend.

“A ridge will develop over us – a small one, but big enough to get the temperatures up into the low 70s, maybe even mid-70s," he said. "Plenty of sun."

Then on Sunday, Mass said a weak trough of low pressure will come through, dampening the outlook.

“There will be clouds, there will be showers. So, definitely a step down,” Mass said, with temperatures “only getting up into the mid-60s. You might not want to plan your hike for Sunday,” he said.

Warmer Week Ahead

Mass says he expects the weather to improve next week.

He predicts partly sunny skies on Monday with temperatures getting back to the lower 70s, and he says "it should warm up as we get into Tuesday and Wednesday.

So aside from Sunday, he calls the weekend “quite decent.”

Good News For Firefighting        

Mass says the weather outlook is creating a much better situation for firefighters, who were able to get the upper hand on a number of wildfires this past week.

“The rain really put out all the fires or almost all the fires in western Washington,” Mass said. “West of the Cascade Crest, the fire season is basically over."

Fires are still burning in eastern Washington, but conditions including “light precipitation, lower temperatures and higher humidities,” have helped firefighters tremendously, Mass said. Caution is still advised next week, as a warming trend continues.

“Temperatures will be getting into the 80s in eastern Washington and there won’t be much precipitation. So the fires could actually start growing a bit again,” Mass said. But he says a shift has certainly set in.

“We’re in a different season, the sun is weaker, the temperatures are dropping, so I’m pretty hopeful,” he 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. 

Bellamy Pailthorp covers the environment for KNKX with an emphasis on climate justice, human health and food sovereignty. She enjoys reporting about how we will power our future while maintaining healthy cultures and livable cities. Story tips can be sent to bpailthorp@knkx.org.