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Mass: Sunshine And 'An Extremely Nice Day' Before Rain Moves In Sunday

Tim Durkan

Dense fog blanketed much of the region Friday morning, but it burned off quickly, though morning fog is in the forecast again Saturday.

“Strangely enough, that’s a good sign,” said KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass.

Thick Fog, Then Sun

“We have high pressure above us. That’s allowed the surface to cool enough that the air has been brought down to saturation,” Mass said, explaining that this causes the fog, and “fairly dense fog,” but also its tendency to dissipate swiftly.

He predicts plenty of sunshine on Friday with temperatures getting into the mid-50s and even upper 50s for some places — "actually an extremely nice day."

And Saturday? “It’s going to be the same thing,” Mass said.

Once again, there will be fog in the morning with afternoon sun and temperatures getting into the mid- and upper 50s.

“Get out there and enjoy it,” Mass said. “Things are going to change.”  

Rainy Sunday

Saturday night into Sunday, a modest cold front will be approaching, bringing clouds in late Saturday and into Saturday night. And it will get wet on Sunday.

“So Sunday will be basically a cooler day. There will be rain,” Mass said. “It’s actually really good weather for watching the Seahawks game. You won’t be tempted to be outside.”

He says that system will move through later in the day on Sunday. And another cold front will come through on Monday.

Snow At High Elevations

If rainy days give you the blues, Mass says, look on the bright side. 

“The good thing about these storms is they will bring some snow to the north Cascades and the mountains of British Columbia,” Mass said. “The air’s still going to be pretty warm, but the higher elevations of the North Cascades will get some freshening of the snow, which is good news.”

He says it won’t reverse the dramatically shrinking snow pack that has occurred over the past month and is shown in images on his latest blog post. But over the next few days, he expects the North Cascades and northeastern Washington will get a half foot or so. 

“Enough to make a skier cry,” Mass said. “Thankfully, we have the Seahawks.” 

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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.

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.