Showers are in the forecast for Western Washington this weekend. But knkx weather expert Cliff Mass says the relatively minor precipitation expected marks a break in what has been a remarkably rainy October so far.
“I should stress how wet it has been. The last two weeks have been extraordinary,” he said. “A number of places in the lowlands have gotten five to six inches – some more – and the mountains have gotten hit by five to 10 inches. You know, a lot of rain!”
Mass says this means there is a chance Seattle will break the all-time record for October rain: 8.96 inches.
“We’re a little over seven now, so a few major rainstorms in the rest of the month – and we have a third of the month left – could get us to the records,” he said. “So, pretty wet. The ground is getting soggy. Three’s been a tremendous transition.”
He says this weekend there will only be a few showers.
Friday, skies will be partly cloudy with a few sprinkles and temperatures reaching about 60. “Not a bad day,” said Mass.
He says a stronger front will be coming through Friday evening, bringing some rain overnight.
Saturday will be mainly dry, Mass says, with a few scattered showers and temperatures getting up again to around 60, with partly cloudy skies.
“So Saturday actually won’t be a bad day at all,” he said.
Then on Saturday night and Sunday morning, another weak disturbance will come through, bringing a lot of clouds and more sprinkles.
“But not a lot. It’s not going to be a real problem, so you can still get outside,” Mass said.
He says a stronger system will come in Monday that could bring much steadier rain.
“So not a bad weekend,” Mass said. And in contrast to last weekend, “not a lot of wind.”
To hear the forecast and discussion of what went wrong with the forecast for last Saturday’s storm, 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.
