Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA

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550 FXUS66 KSEW 271031 AFDSEW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Seattle WA 331 AM PDT Mon May 27 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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An upper level ridge will begin to build to the east of the area today, while upper level troughing over the northeastern Pacific continues to influence western Washington. This will bring warmer temperatures to the area today, but will allow for some light showers to continue along the coast. The next frontal system will then move across the region on Tuesday, bringing greater precipitation chances to the region. Drier and warmer conditions will be possible late in the week as upper ridging builds offshore.
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&& .SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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An upper level ridge will start to build to the east of the area today, while a trough remains situated over the northeastern Pacific. This upper trough will continue to influence western Washington early in the week and will continue to keep showery conditions along the coast today. Latest radar shows a few light showers persisting along the coast early this morning. Overall, expect some light shower activity to continue for areas along the coast through the morning and afternoon hours, with showers tapering by late afternoon. High temperatures will warm closer to seasonal norms and look to top out out in the mid to upper 60s and upper 50s to low 60s along the coast. Shower chances then start to increase again late tonight along the coast as the next frontal system approaches. The front will then move across the region on Tuesday, allowing for rain to spread inland Tuesday morning and afternoon. Showers look to taper heading into Tuesday night, however hi-res guidance does hint at a convergence zone developing and lingering across the central Sound Tuesday night into Wednesday. Afternoon high temperatures will cool back down into the 50s to low 60s for the majority of the area. The trough over the northeastern Pacific will then shift its axis inland on Wednesday, keeping showers in the forecast for the majority of the area. Cooler air aloft will promote increasing instability and could generate the development of some convective showers across the interior by Wednesday afternoon. Lightning, small hail, gusty winds, and brief heavy downpours will be possible in any thunderstorms that do develop. Showers will taper late Wednesday night. High temperatures will be similar to Tuesday, and look to top out in the 50s to low 60s across the area. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...The upper level trough will continue to push off to the east on Thursday, allowing for upper level ridging to build over the northeastern Pacific. Ensemble and deterministic data are in decent agreement that this ridging will help shape the start of the long term forecast, with a warming and drying trend commencing over western Washington on Thursday. Temperatures look to increase a few degrees each day and currently look to top out in the upper 60s to low 70s by Saturday. The ridge axis looks to push inland on Saturday, which would open the door for systems to move back into western Washington by late Saturday into early Sunday. While discrepancies in the ensemble data remain in regards to the location of the ridge and trough axis late in the weekend, have trended with a return to wetter conditions for now. 14
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&& .AVIATION...
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Southwest flow aloft as an upper-level trough nudges eastward into the Pacific Northwest today. Light west-southwest flow turning more north-northwest by around 00Z 5 to 10 kt. Mostly VFR with MVFR CIGs possible through 15Z across the Puget Sound terminals with the greatest likelihood being at PWT and PAE (40 and 60%, respectively). CIGs likely to remain MVFR longer along the coast at HQM through the 20Z timeframe. KSEA...MVFR to low-end VFR with CIGS between 2500 and 4000 feet through 15Z then improving to mostly VFR through at least 12Z Tuesday before MVFR CIGs redevelop ahead of the next system. Southerly winds 5 to 10 kt turning southwesterly after 20Z then northwesterly to northerly after 00Z. Davis
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&& .MARINE...
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Weak high pressure will move across the area waters today with generally quiet conditions and onshore flow. A weakening cold front will pass over the region Tuesday with generally sub-advisory conditions, with the exception being through the central and east Strait of Juan de Fuca with a 50% chance for advisory-level wind gusts Tuesday evening. A stronger push through the Strait Wednesday will likely bring more widespread SCA wind gusts through the Strait. Onshore flow continues through the second half of the week with surface high pressure to our southwest. Wave heights look to range mostly from 4 to 6 feet through much of the week. Davis
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&& .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. PZ...None. && $$