Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA

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000 FXUS66 KSEW 210925 AFDSEW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Seattle WA 225 AM PDT Sun Apr 21 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Scattered post-frontal showers across western Washington will gradually taper off to the Cascades through the day. High pressure will build across the Pacific Northwest, bringing warmer and drier conditions Monday and Tuesday. A weak cold front will cross the region Tuesday night with additional weak disturbances and upper level troughing leading to more unsettled conditions for the second half of the week.
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&& .SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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Much cooler today with high temperatures in the mid to upper 50s and scattered showers and mountain snow showers across the region. Mesoscale guidance continues to hone in on convergence banding, staying confined to Whatcom, Skagit, and far northwestern Snohomish Counties this morning, then pushing further south towards the I-90 corridor as an afternoon push through the Strait of Juan de Fuca brings northerly winds southward across Snohomish and northern King Counties. Can`t rule out a rumble or two of thunder with SBCAPE values between 100 and 150 J/kg, though greatest chances will be across the northwestern Olympic Peninsula. Total rainfall amounts stay less than a tenth of an inch for most locations, save for under heavier showers and downpours that may form in convergence banding through the afternoon. Chilly low temperatures tonight with patchy frost possible, especially in rural areas with low temperatures in the low 30s. Greatest chances for sub-freezing lows through rural Thurston, Mason, Lewis, and eastern Grays Harbor Counties (10%). Some uncertainty in cloud cover and still rather low probabilities for temperatures near freezing will preclude any Frost or Freeze headlines with this forecast package. High pressure will build onshore over the region Monday and Tuesday with high temperatures warming into the low 60s Monday and into the upper 60s to near 70 by Tuesday as the ridge moves directly overhead. Offshore flow looks to develop late Monday into Tuesday morning as surface high pressure moves further inland and a thermal trough develops along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. This will likely lead to another period of low relative humidity values with a 30% chance for min RH values below 35% Monday and a 45% chance for Tuesday along and south of I-90. .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...A weakening cold front will cross the Pacific Northwest Tuesday night, quickly shifting well inland by Wednesday. Precipitation amounts look to be on the lighter side once again. Long range ensemble guidance continues to deepen a longer wave trough across the western CONUS with ridging across the Mississippi River Valley Thursday and Friday. Main disagreement appears to be over how quickly a cutoff upper low across Southern California and the Desert Southwest merges with upper level energy with Wednesday`s system. This will affect how quickly an upper-level ridge builds across the Pacific Northwest through the weekend. The consensus Thursday through Saturday is for near to slightly below normal temperatures with scattered showers and mountain snow nearly each day, though likely non- impactful amounts. Davis
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&& .AVIATION...
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Currently west-southwest flow aloft before turning northwesterly tonight as an upper-ridge looms offshore. Low-level onshore flow will weaken as the morning progress. But scattered showers are to remain throughout the day with VFR cigs. A convergence zone is forecasted to form over Puget Sound in the afternoon before gradually fizzling out overnight. Localized MVFR cigs are possible with this feature for airfields such as KPAE. Breezy S to SW winds again today before decreasing overnight. More VFR is expected into Sunday. KSEA...VFR conditions so far this morning with post-frontal showers in the vicinity. Cigs are to remain mostly VFR throughout the TAF period but a developing convergence zone between 20Z Sunday and 00Z Monday could influence things a bit. S/SW surface winds between 8 to 12 kt today before veering to the N/NW later this evening and decreasing in magnitude. McMillian
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&& .MARINE...
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Small craft advisories over the coastal waters and west strait will be allowed to expire as the morning progress. However, surface high pressure looks to build over area waters today keeping SCA westerlies through Strait of Juan de Fuca through tonight. The surface ridge shifts inland on Monday as a thermal trough expands northward along the Oregon coast. This will turn the flow more northerly, possibly near advisory levels across southern portions of the coastal waters. An additional front is on track to enter the region Tuesday night into Wednesday with more activity possible later in the week. Seas may briefly get above 10 feet over portions of the outer coastal waters today before subsiding below that threshold for the remainder of the forecast period. 27
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&& .HYDROLOGY...No river flooding is expected over the next 7 days. && .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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WA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM PDT early this morning for Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To James Island 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To James Island Out 10 Nm-Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm-Coastal Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater Out 10 Nm-West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca. Small Craft Advisory until midnight PDT tonight for Central U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
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&& $$

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