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Enjoy The Sunshine While It Lasts; Showers And Clouds Will Dominate This Weekend

sea turtle
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Flickr via Compfight
A view of the Seattle Space Needle from Volunteer Park, as seen on on November 10, 2012.

If sunshine is your thing, you’ll want to get out in it on Friday, says knkx weather expert Cliff Mass. A wet period is ahead. But he says the downhill trend won't start till Saturday.  

Sunny Friday

Mass said Friday was shaping up as a “perfect fall day” in the Pacific Northwest, with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 60s.

“You couldn’t have a better a day for any outdoor activities, so enjoy it,” he said.  

But he said there’s an upper-level trough of low pressure pushing down along the coast and that’s going to cause the weather to degrade.

Showery Saturday

Mass says the weather starts going downhill on Saturday.

“There will be a lot of clouds, I’m afraid. But in the morning I would say 30 to 40 percent chance of showers, extending into the afternoon. And the chance of showers should increase later in the day,” Mass said.

He says expect plenty of clouds, highs in the lower 60s and some scattered showers.  

“By the end of the day I think most people will see something – not a lot of heavy rain, but some showers,” he said adding there's a good chance of rain overnight.   

Improving Sunday and Monday; Wetter Next Week

Mass says that upper-level trough looks like it will go a little bit south of us on Sunday.

“I think we’ll see a break, especially in the afternoon, [with] the sun coming out and temperatures getting into the mid-60s. The only negative will probably be on the western slopes of the Cascades, where there’s probably a 50 percent chance of showers,” he said.

And Mass says Monday looks like a great day, as a mini-ridge of high pressure forms about us.

“Sun coming back; temperatures moving back up to the mid-60s,” he said.

But next week, he says more wet weather is coming in.

“There’s a series of disturbances, fronts and troughs and I think that Monday night the rain’s going to come back into Tuesday. So, Monday will be okay, but then it will be showery next week,” Mass said.  

To hear the forecast along with a discussion of how the best weather technology is missing from the cockpits on most commercial airlines and why Cliff wants to see that change, you can click on the “play” icon at the top of this post.The weekly knkx 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 knkx 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.