Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA

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130 FXUS66 KSEW 270323 AFDSEW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Seattle WA 820 PM PDT Fri Jul 26 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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A weak upper level trough remains over western Washington through the weekend. A passing front Monday will bring widespread rain chances to the area, with showers lingering into Tuesday as the upper trough moves through. Weak high pressure aloft begins to build again toward midweek.
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&& .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
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Fair skies over W WA this evening with some high clouds drifting over the area. Already seeing some 50s emerging along the coast, however the majority of the area seeing temps generally in the 60s...save for urban heat islands such as the Seattle metro area, which is still reporting temps in the lower 70s. Overall a fairly quiet evening. Inherited forecast looks on track and see no need for any evening updates. For additional forecast details, please refer to the Previous Discussion section below. 18 From Previous Discussion...Weak upper level troughing over the region this weekend for generally mild conditions. Temperatures will be close to late July normals. There is a slight chance of showers in the North Cascades (near the crest) Saturday afternoon, otherwise the remainder of western WA will be dry. A deeper trough taps into some moisture over the Pacific on Monday for wetter and cooler conditions. Much of western WA will see measurable rain with this system. Up in the mountains, there`s a 50-70% chance of seeing wetting rains (at least 0.25"). Temperatures will be cooler and in the 60s. 33 .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...From Previous Discussion...Showers linger on Tuesday as the upper level trough exits east toward Idaho/Montana. Heights will build and we`ll see a little warming (but still a few degrees shy of normal). Dry and warmer weather returns mid-week onwards with broad upper level ridging over the western CONUS. Temperatures on Thursday and Friday will reach the 80s again (across the interior lowlands) with pockets of Moderate HeatRisk. NW flow will keep the coast cooler and in the 60s and 70s. 33
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&& .AVIATION...
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Northwest flow aloft as subtle ridging resides offshore along with troughing nearby. VFR conditions in place and largely expected to remain that way for much of the TAF period. It is worth noting that latest runs are starting to suggest marine stratus pushing a little further inland when compared to previous runs. The usual coastal sites and those that tend to favor lower cigs will likely see MVFR to IFR conditions emerge late tonight into Saturday morning, however starting to see indications that SEA and PAE may see lower cigs as well. Have already included a hint to this in the 03Z SEA update but will re-evaluate for the 06Z TAF issuance. Otherwise, VFR conditions expected to resume by noon Saturday. KSEA...VFR expected for the remainder of the evening. May see cigs erode down to low-end VFR/high-end MVFR around or a little after 12Z Saturday morning. VFR conditions expected to return by 18Z. Surface winds northerly 6 to 10 kt this evening and tonight before easing overnight...then becoming more west-southwesterly late Saturday morning. McMillian/18
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&& .MARINE...
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Low-level onshore flow persists with high pressure over the coastal waters of the Pacific and lower pressure inland. Benign conditions over the marine zones expected tonight into Saturday. A westerly push through the strait this evening is seeing wind speeds largely remain below SCA criteria. Only Race Rocks is currently meeting criteria and, as such, conditions are not widespread enough to warrant any headlines or updates. The next best chance for SCA- level winds in the Strait appears to be Saturday night into Sunday morning. Marine stratus will persist in varying coverage for the next several days with visibility restrictions a possibility over the zones. A frontal system will move through the region early next week. At this time the threat for widespread breezy winds impacting small craft is low. Seas generally 4 to 6 ft tonight into Saturday...although some spots in the far outer waters may see seas reach 7 ft. Waves easing Saturday evening with resulting seas 3 to 5 ft. McMillian/18
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&& .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. PZ...None. && $$