Ten below.
That’s how far from average today’s high temperature of 41 degrees in Seattle was, thanks to a cold area of low pressure traversing the region. (Contrary to popular belief, minus ten isn’t what the wind chill registered today, although with the wind gusting well above 30 mph, it did feel pretty darn cold.) Fortunately, for those of you not digging the chilly temperatures, milder air is on the way—but first, we have to get through another round of snow showers.
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We’ve danced this dance before, huh?
An early-morning Puget Sound Convergence Zone has brought snow showers, along with spotty accumulations, to areas along the King-Snohomish County line. Since 7 a.m. this morning, snow has fallen off and on in North Seattle, Shoreline, Lynnwood and Bothell—the same cities that see the flakes time and time again, while the rest of the region experiences a cold rain. (Yes, Lynnwood—we’re jealous. How would you like to wake up to a 37-degree rain?)
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The rain shadow is gone.
After protecting Seattle from the wet stuff all day Tuesday—we received a meager 0.03” in the rain bucket—the rain-free zone created by dry air flowing down the Olympics retreated to its normal home earlier today. As a result, Sea-Tac Airport received a healthy 0.34” of rain in three hours—ten times what fell yesterday. Makes you wonder how wet it could have been around here had we not been rain-shadowed for 95 percent of yesterday/today’s system…
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After a dry day on Sunday—rumor has it the sun even managed to peek through the overcast skies yesterday afternoon—the rain has returned for today.
Currently, light-to-moderate rain is falling across Puget Sound. As we work our way into the evening hours, that rain will continue to increase, becoming heavy after midnight. Then, just as tomorrow morning’s commute gets underway, a seemingly magical act will take place. The winds up high will shift to the west—and the rain will shut off completely.
All hail the Olympic rain shadow.
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After a couple days of relatively benign weather—sunshine, fog, and the occasional raindrop or two—a much more active weather pattern is on tap for the Seattle area, just in time for the holiday weekend.
Scattered light rain showers roaming around the area this evening will dissipate as we head into the overnight hours, with the temperature holding steady in the mid-40s. As we get into Friday morning, we’ll actually see the mercury rise a little bit, as warmer winds in advance of our next rainmaker nudge temperatures up into the lower 50s. The morning commute should be relatively dry, with the greatest chance of some light rain in the South Sound.
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The streak is over.
Friday marked the ninth—and last—consecutive day of above-average temperatures for Seattle, with a high of 55. Unfortunately, Saturday’s persistent cloud cover prevented the streak from reaching double digits, as we only topped out at 48 degrees—two shy of the average high for the day. Regardless, nine back-to-back days of warm weather in mid-winter is pretty impressive, especially in a La Nina year (where temperatures are generally cooler than average).
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With today’s high of 52 degrees, Seattle has now seen seven days in a row with high temperatures above normal. While today wasn’t exactly “off-the-charts” warm around here (the forecasted afternoon sun was a no-show, killing our chances of hitting 60 degrees), we still did end up three degrees above average.
Normally, that’s not much to brag about, but tack on today’s above-average temperatures to those of the previous six days, and what you have is the longest stretch of above-average temperatures since last September. In other words, you have to go all the way back to baseball season to find a greater period of time when Seattle exceeded the thermometer’s expectations, day after day. I know, I know, it’s not that cool of a stat—but hey, times are tough when there’s nothing but light rain in the forecast.
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If there’s anything we’ve learned about this February so far, it’s that it doesn’t like rain. Except on Wednesdays.
After dumping rain last Wednesday morning—the first of the month—the skies have remained dry for nearly a week across the Seattle area. Abundant sunshine and warm temperatures (today marked the first time since mid-October that we reached 60 degrees on consecutive days) have been the rule of the thumb from Thursday through today. Unfortunately, tomorrow’s Wednesday—and sure enough, rain is back in the forecast.
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Around 7 a.m. this morning, under clear skies, the temperature stood at 41 degrees at Sea-Tac Airport. A mere nine miles to the north at Boeing Field, however, the mercury only read 34 degrees—a difference of seven degrees. With such a short distance between the airports, how can the temperature range possibly be this high?
The answer: easterly winds, or lack thereof.
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Six more weeks of winter.
That’s what Punxsutawney Phil, the infamous groundhog with a knack for predicting winter’s demise, concluded early this morning. With all due respect to Phil, it’s also what La Nina—the weather pattern with a knack for extending Seattle winters into spring—determined a long time ago.
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