This weekend will bring heavy rain, strong winds and snow in the mountains, says KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass.
“You can expect everything this weekend,” said Mass, who teaches atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington.
First, a warm front will move through Friday, bringing with it increasingly heavy rain.
“It’s going to get heavy by dinnertime," said Mass.
Trailing the warm front will be some very gusty winds.
“We’re talking about 20 to 40 mph in the lowlands, and maybe higher in the mountains,” said Mass.
Potential Flooding
Mass says the mountains will see heavy rainfall — “maybe 2 to 4 inches, some places even more,” which means there’s potential for flooding.
“And some of the rivers are prone to flooding, like the Snoqualmie, the Snohomish, maybe the Skykomish,” he said. “So people have to watch for that.”
Rain — Then More Snow — For Skiers
The warm front will mean rain over fresh snow in the mountains Friday night, but don’t fret, ski bums — there’s more coming.
Friday night’s rain will transition to snow Saturday morning, said Mass, and add at least another foot of snow at higher elevations late Saturday and early Sunday.
“So [we can expect] plenty of snow over the weekend, particularly the later half,” he said.
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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.
