Sunny Then A Return to Showers

We have had a nice week of sunny and warm weather here in Western Washington! Highs have reached 70-80 degrees for the last few days. 

Friday will be another warm day, with highs reaching the 80s likely around the region. 

Keeping with our now regular trend of weekend rain, Saturday will be much cooler...with highs of 65-70 degrees, a 10-15 degree drop from Friday. 

This is due to a trough moving into the region. Here is the upper level map from UW for Saturday. Lines that are closer together is the trough, which brings lower pressure and clouds/rain. 

Rain is likely Saturday night, though more than 0.1 inches is not expected. 

Thunderstorms are possible on Sunday. The forecasts are not super clear on the storm potential right now, but be prepared for some stronger showers with isolated thunderstorms on Sunday. (Should it get worse, I will have a new blog). 

Chances of showers remain through next week, but we will enjoy partly sunny days with highs in the 70s. Normal summertime weather for Western Washington!

Warm Day Today, Rain This Weekend

Today will be the warmest day of June so far! Highs will reach 80 degrees away from the water, and near 70 degrees by the water. High clouds associated with the incoming weekend rain will move in throughout the day, but temperatures will still get warm!

Before we look at the forecasts, here is a beautiful picture of Mount Rainier taken by Gunner H. yesterday!

Now...let’s take a look at what to expect today! Here’s the UW model for temperature at 6 PM today (Friday).

The key for each color is on the bottom. Highs will be right around 80-85 degrees, maybe on the warmer side in the valleys.

It will also be a bit muggy today. Due to high dew points (the measure of moisture in the atmosphere), it will feel sticky. Dew points will hover around 55 degrees, higher in some places. Be prepared for it to feel sticky outside.

Rain moves in late tonight. Here’s a look at the UW forecast model showing precipitation through the weekend.

We will receive 0.3-0.65 inches of rain this weekend. Typical for us with what we’ve been seeing. Most of the rain will fall on Saturday, with scattered showers mainly in the Cascades on Sunday. Despite the rain, high temperatures will remain in the upper 60s. 

Don’t worry, though...the rain will freshen things up and pave the way for great weather next week! Forecasts hinting at highs of 75-80 degrees with lots of sun!

Drier and Sunnier Weather, With Rain on the Weekend

It has been very wet so far this June in Western Washington. Most locations have more than their average monthly rainfall, and we are only halfway through the month. But don’t worry, sunny weather is here...for a few days!

It will be mostly sunny Wednesday and Thursday (with some morning clouds likely) and highs will reach the lower to mid 70s! Here is the UW forecast model for high temperatures at 6:00 PM on Thursday, which looks to be the warmest day! Refer to the key on the bottom to see what colors mean.



Most areas climb to around 72 degrees, but some isolated locations will reach 80 degrees! Enjoy it! Clouds move in on Friday, but highs still climb to around 75!

Then...the rain returns. Of course, it’s on the weekend. I’m sure you’re not surprised. Here’s a look at how much rain to expect through the weekend, ending on Sunday.



Our area is in the rain shadow due to the direction of the flow, but most of the South Sound picks up 0.2-0.4 inches of rain. That’s a decent amount for a summer system, and it will add on to the 2-4 inches that have already fallen this June. 

Your grass will stay green for awhile longer than normal, and the wildfire danger is currently low! That is good news for the mountains!

During this rainy couple days, highs will remain near 70 degrees, and at times there will be sun breaks! Clouds will begin to move out late Sunday.

But do not worry...sun returns on Monday! Forecasts show mostly sunny weather returning for the start of the next week, with highs of 70-75, maybe higher for next week! 

Warmer Weather At Last...But Rain First

We will finally have warmer weather...but of course it has to rain first. 

We have received 0.98 inches of rain this month in Puyallup, and amounts of 0.90-1.5 inches are common around the South Sound. This is more rain than our last two June’s combined. 

Rain moves on the coast Sunday night and spreads into the Lowlands. It turns showery by Monday afternoon and remains so through Tuesday. 

Here is the UW forecast model showing forecast precipitation through the next 48 hours (4 PM Tuesday). 



Our area receives 0.16-0.64 inches. Forecasts show common amounts around 0.3-0.5 inches. 

However...there is warmer weather coming! Finally!

Forecasts show that a high pressure ridge begins to build by Wednesday and Thursday. Rain chances remain through Wednesday. Then Thursday will be mostly sunny, with highs in the 70s. 

Highs from Thursday through Sunday are in the mid-upper 70s, peaking on the weekend! It will be partly sunny, with slight chances of rain on the weekend, but it looks mostly dry!

Muggy Weather Fuels A Chance of Thunderstorms

Have you stepped outside and noticed that it's warm and really muggy? If you haven't...just trust me. 

Why is it so muggy? 2 reasons...warm temperatures (in the 70s around most of the area), and high relative humidity & dew points. The muggy weather will fuel a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Let’s examine the details and why it’s so muggy today. 

Relative humidity (measure of moisture in the atmosphere) is quite high for midday in Western Washington. Take a look at this map showing current humidity.

Wow...humidity between 55 and 75 percent...at mid-afternoon. This is pretty rare for Western Washington, to have values like this at this time of day. Normally, we would have 30-50%.

Higher humidity leads to higher dew points, and in turn more “mugginess.” Here’s a map showing current dew points at 3:30 PM. Normal dew points on an average day at this time are around 45°.

Whoa! Look at that! Dew points of 55-65 degrees, with some isolated spots higher or lower. This is why it feels so muggy. You’d expect to see these kind of numbers in the Midwest rather than the PNW. 

This muggy atmosphere and warm temperatures will fuel some instability through the afternoon and evening. The HRRR forecast model shows CAPE (instability) values of 200-800 j/kg. That is decent instability for our area.

I would expect the highest chance of thunderstorms to be near the mountains and foothills between 3 and 8 PM. Isolated storms in the lowlands wouldn’t be out of the question, though!

Some storms could contain dangerous lightning, heavy rain, gusty winds, and possibly some hail. Best to be prepared and go indoors for at least 30 minutes after hearing thunder. 

Rainy Weather System Tuesday Followed by Showers

June has already been cooler than normal...and it's about to become wetter than normal. (I'm sure you're not surprised). 

By Monday night, a strong frontal system will be on our doorstep. Associated rain will move in to the lowlands from the coast by 11 PM Monday. Expect steady light-moderate rain through most of the day on Tuesday. 

This forecast model from UW shows 0.32-0.64 inches of rain through 5 AM Thursday. That forecast total is more rain than all of June 2019. You'll see some rain-shadowing near Port Townsend, and the coast+mountains will get the brunt of the rain from this system. 

Rain from this system will continue through Tuesday night, but it will become showery. 

Of course, in true Washington fashion, the rain doesn't stop there...look at the forecast totals through next Monday, the 15th.

The Cascades in WA, OR, and BC get a 2.5+ inch soaking. The lowlands get 1.2-2.5 inches of rain. 

After the Tuesday system, chances of rain (mainly showers) will remain through next week. Some forecasts show a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoons on Thursday and Friday. 

In case you were wondering...our area average rain for June is around 1.5 inches. By next Monday, we could have upwards of 2 inches of rain!! That would make this month the 5th this year with above normal precipitation.