School may have started for most kids in the Northwest, but the clear skies and warmth of late summer are still in play. Expect mostly sunny and dry conditions for most of this weekend, says knkx weather expert Cliff Mass.
And then it gets even better as we enter next week.
“The weekend will have a little bit of clouds, but next weekend should be really very nice,” Mass said.
Clear Skies Friday Afternoon
On Friday, he says temperatures will get up into the lower- to mid-70s, with some clouds in the morning, but those will mainly burn off.
“Now the problem for the weekend is we have two upper-level troughs that just skirt our area,” Mass said.
So Saturday, he says there’s a chance of morning clouds and minor precipitation in many areas.
Chance of Northern Rain Late Saturday
“South of Seattle, I think it should be a really decent day, but north of Seattle along the coast, this upper-level shortwave [trough] will bring some clouds, maybe a few sprinkles, in the very northern part of the state later on Saturday,” he said.
Mass says on Saturday night, as that trough moves by, there could be a few sprinkles more generally. There’s a chance of a Puget Sound Convergence Zone, bringing some rain in the central Puget Sound area late at night.
“[But] it won’t be heavy; it won’t be long,” he added
More Clouds Sunday Morning
Sunday morning, Mass says there’ll be clouds in place, but he expects them to mostly burn off during the afternoon on Sunday.
“So temperatures will probably get up to around 70,” he said.
But after that, Mass says things really get very nice.
'Extraordinarily Beautiful' Period Starting Next Week
“An upper-level ridge will develop over the eastern Pacific, getting downslope flow. And I think that the temperatures will slowly rise, first to the mid-70s, maybe even near 80 by the time we get to the end of the week.
“So, it’ll be an extraordinarily beautiful mid-September period coming up, once we get through a little bit of clouds over the weekend,” Mass said.
To hear the forecast along with a discussion of what to expect now that the National Weather Service has dropped its prediction for the winter from a mild La Niña pattern to neutral – as well as Cliff’s fascination with the gigantic ice cube that’s now melting in Seattle’s Occidental Park , 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.
