Heat To Build Again In Late Week

Monday was the hottest day in over a year, and the hottest of 2020 by far. Take a look at maximum high temperatures around the area on Monday. Nearly all values above 90 degrees. Whew! What a scorcher!

We had a significant cooldown today (Tuesday), with many places 5-15 degrees cooler than yesterday. This graph shows the temperature change over 24 hours. 

Highs today were 80-85 degrees. While temperatures in the 80s isn’t “cool” for us, it’s noticeably cooler than the mid 90s.

However...heat isn’t done with us yet. Wednesday and Thursday will feature heat building again in Western Washington. Highs will be 83-89 on Wednesday and 87-95 on Thursday. Hot yet again...

Don’t worry...relief (sort of) is on the way after this. Take a look at the weather.com forecast for Puyallup. Hot for the next 2 days, then somewhat cooler. 

“Cooldown” only offers one day below 80 degrees. However, these are near-normal temperatures for our area around this time of year. 

If you want real heat...take a trip to Eastern Washington, where high temperatures of 100-115 degrees are likely later this week. 

Yes...that forecast says 111 degrees in Kennewick. Yikes. That’s desert Southwest heat. 

Thankfully, it won’t get nearly that hot here, but regardless, remember to take heat safety precautions!

Heat Update

Sunday and Monday will be the warmest days of the year. NWS Seattle has expanded the Heat Advisory to include western King County. 

View the updated Heat Advisory below.

Bottom line with this alert: expect high temperatures of 90-95 degrees on Monday.

Check out this informative graphic from NWS Seattle showing the heat risk for Sunday and Monday.

Be sure to practice the safety tips listed! 

Sunday will be warm, with highs 85-89 degrees, before the “big heat” on Monday, with highs 89-95 degrees (possibly more in certain locations...less near water).

As of early Sunday...Hurricane Douglas is visible on Hawaiian weather radar. Expect impacts today and tomorrow. 

Find information here: 

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_cp2+shtml/024738.shtml?cone#contents

Heat Wave Coming To Western Washington

After a few days of relatively benign weather, things are about to heat up here in Western Washington. 

Our warmest temperatures in over a year, with highs above 90 degrees, are likely to start next week.

Due to this, NWS Seattle has issued a Heat Advisory from 9 AM-8 PM on Monday, July 27th. There’s a copy of the alert below.

The advisory is in effect for the more heat-prone areas of Western Washington, such as the western sections of Lewis, Thurston, and Pierce Counties. The advisory suggests highs of 91-96 degrees in these areas. If you live near these areas, but outside of the advisory area (Federal Way, Bonney Lake, Auburn, Graham), it will still be hot, with highs near the same of those in the advisory area. 

Let’s take a look at the weather.com forecast for Puyallup.

Yes...that does say 97 degrees. I am sweating already!! Remember to subtract a couple degrees from these temperatures if you live outside the valley.

Remember, Monday isn’t the only hot day, it’s only 1 of 5 possible days above 85 degrees. While Monday will be hottest, Sunday will be at or near 90 degrees, and Tuesday & Wednesday will be in the upper 80s.

These will be our warmest temperatures since last July, so be sure to stay safe in the heat and take necessary precautions!

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Hurricane Douglas is threatening the entire state of Hawaii. Life-theatening storm surge and waves, heavy & flooding rains, and winds gusting 50-120 mph are possible. 

For further information:

Central Pacific Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?cpac
NWS Honolulu: https://www.weather.gov/hfo/

Cooldown Then Possibility of Major Heat

Monday was the warmest day of 2020, with highs in the upper 80s around Puget Sound. 

Today has been a warm day as well, with highs in the low 80s. However, that is about to change. 

Marine air is moving into Western Washington, and it will become cloudy overnight. 

Each day Wednesday through Friday will start cloudy and become partly sunny. Highs will be 70-75 degrees, a big change from the sunny & warm weather that has dominated the past few days. Saturday will begin with clouds, then sun will prevail for the next few days after.

Here’s a graphic from NWS Seattle showing the expected weather for the next 5 days. 

After Saturday...heat builds again. The accurate weather.com forecast for Puyallup shows highs of 95 and 92 degrees on Monday and Tuesday...by far the warmest days of 2020. 

As a rule of thumb, subtract 2-4 degrees from the temperature if you live outside the valley. Regardless, 90+ degrees in our area isn’t too comfortable. 

Stay tuned for updates on the potential heat!

Tropical Storm Douglas in the East/Central Pacific Ocean may threaten Hawaii this weekend. Find the latest information on the storm here. (National Hurricane Center). Click the “Eastern Pacific” tab, then click on the storm, or find the storm headline below the menu of the main site. 

Warmest Day of 2020 Likely This Week

The warmest day of 2020 is likely this week. High temperatures of 80°+ are expected.

After some clouds and a cooler day on Friday, sun and heat is building this weekend into the upcoming week. 

Monday will likely be the warmest day of 2020. Here is the accurate 10-day weather.com forecast for Puyallup.

Highs of 88 and 87 to begin the week. And if you’re a sun fan, it’ll continue to be warm and sunny through the end of July!

If you’re wondering why I always use the “accurate” weather.com forecast, here’s why. It is proven to be the most accurate forecast. How did I find this out? 

forecastadvisor.com

Here it shows the forecast accuracy for the last month in Tacoma (nearest big city), and weather.com (The Weather Channel) is highly accurate, followed by Weather Underground (owned by TWC), and then AccuWeather at #3. Notice that the NWS is nearly 15% less accurate than the leader. Although most of the other forecasts depend on the NWS, the government funding to the organization can be improved.

If you’re looking for an accurate forecast, I recommend The Weather Channel app or weather.com. Also...did you know that weather.com provides all weather forecasts for Apple, Google, and Facebook? Pretty cool!

Back to the expected weather...here is a graphic from NWS Seattle showing the heat risk on Monday.

Heat safety is always a good reminder this time of year. One thing not mentioned on this graphic is sunscreen. When it’s this warm, always wear sunscreen! 

If you’re not a fan of heat and sun, you’ll have a bit of relief during the second half of the week, with slightly cooler temperatures and some clouds. However, warm temperatures will return by next weekend.

Also, we will have some clear nights this week that will be great for viewing the slowly fading Comet Neowise!

Comet Viewing Results & A Weather Update

I was able to view Comet Neowise last night! It was so cool to see the comet and its tail in the night sky!

However, I wasn’t able to take photos of the comet. The amount of light was too great for my iPad to take pictures. 

Here’s some tips for viewing the comet:
1. Bring binoculars. It makes viewing the comet so much better. You’re able to really see what it looks like. 
2. Go to a location where there is less light. My travels last night took me to Dash Point in Federal Way, on the side of a small road in a tight neighborhood overlooking Puget Sound. Using the binoculars, it was a great place to see the comet!
3. If you want to take comet pictures, have a professional camera and Google the ways to correctly view Comet Neowise. 

You have less than 2 weeks to view the comet...it is slowly fading from view, even as it gets closer to the earth, because it is farther from the light of the sun. This one won’t be back for 6,800 years, so go and see it!!

Now over to the weather...expect clouds today and tomorrow, with a chance of rain tonight and early tomorrow. Increased clouds today and warm temperatures make it a tad bit muggy outside. Lots of dew points around 60F. Muggy for us.

This graphic from NWS Seattle shows what to expect for the next 3 days.

After Friday...we will warm up again! This weekend will be mostly sunny! (Yes, that is possible...it won’t rain on a weekend). 

From Saturday on, heat builds. Our warmest temperatures of the year. Here is the Puyallup forecast from the very reliable weather.com forecast.

Yes, that says 90 degrees. Tuesday will most likely be the warmest day of 2020 so far. Want even more heat? Go to the Tri-Cities, where 100+ degrees is likely, as hot as 105F on Tuesday. 

Remember to NEVER leave children or pets in a hot car and ALWAYS take heat safety precautions. 

I know where I will be on Monday...

Great Night To View Comet Neowise

Tonight will be a near-perfect night to view Comet Neowise! Let’s take a look at the great weather conditions tonight! 

First off, it has been a warm day around our area, with highs in the 80s around the Sound. Warmest day of July so far. 

Take a look at this afternoon’s satellite imagery from NOAA Satellites. Clear over all areas except the coastal regions.

The clear weather is expected to continue tonight and tomorrow. Here is the UW forecast model showing expected cloud cover over our area at 11 PM. 

Clear nearly everywhere! Great conditions in most of WA and OR, and perfectly clear over Idaho and Montana! This will make some great viewing conditions to see the comet all around the PNW!

Now...what you probably want to know...how do you see the comet?

For starters, the comet will be visible in the northwest sky, so know where that is prior to going outside. The best time to view the comet starts 1.5-2 hours after sunset (9 PM). So, that makes the best time to see the comet around 11:00 PM, and later, if you’re still up. I’d go outside a bit earlier so that you can find a place to see the comet.

Here is a picture from Skunk Bay Weather last night around 11 PM showing the comet in the sky.

On his blog, Cliff Mass provides very good information on how to view the comet. He recommends finding a place without much light, letting your eyes adjust to the night, and using binoculars. He also says that he was able to see the comet from North Seattle last night without much difficulty. Suburban areas of the South Sound should be good viewing areas!

This will be the last good night to see the comet until Saturday night, though the comet will slowly begin to fade as it gets farther from the sun. Take advantage of the opportunity to see the comet...this one won’t be around for the next 6,800 years! Literally a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Sunny Weather Arrives!

After the coldest start to July in 18 years, we are seeing an increasing chance of prolonged sunny weather! 

Take a look at the accurate 10-day forecast from weather.com for Puyallup.

Lots of sun and temperatures above 80 degrees! We’ll have a couple cooler days at the end of this week as a marine push gives us our “natural air conditioning.” 

This week, Wednesday looks to be the warmest day, with highs 78-85 degrees! 

Next week looks even warmer, with temperatures in the 80s all week and some upper 80s possible early in the week. Remember, this is a 10 day forecast and it will likely fluctuate. 

However, it is safe to say that we will see extended sun in the Puget Sound region, a welcome change from the very cloudy weather we’ve been seeing. 

If you like warm & sunny weather (like me), you can celebrate! If not, look at the end of this week!

Partly Sunny This Independence Day

It’s been cloudy...all week. Lots of clouds due to the persistent marine layer...but I have good news!

 We will have some clearing, with mostly sunny conditions by evening for Independence Day!

Highs on Saturday will reach around 70 degrees, with clouds decreasing through the day. Partly-mostly clear at night, with temperatures in the mid-50s. Take a look at the simulated cloud cover model from UW. Mostly clear at 9 PM...staying that way through the night. Decent fireworks weather...

As always on the Fourth, the amount of “matter” in the atmosphere will dramatically increase from tomorrow night through Sunday morning, resulting in horrible air quality. That’s because of the huge amount of smoke from personal fireworks around our region. Here is a graph showing air quality in June and July 2019, from the Cliff Mass Weather Blog. Notice the HUGE spike from 7/4-7/5. 

That spike is clearly from fireworks, and in some cases the spike in bad air quality is noticeable (and you smell smoke). 

This year will likely be even worse. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many fireworks shows are canceled, resulting in a huge increase in sales of personal fireworks. Expect more fireworks and worse air quality this year. 

Sunday will be mostly sunny and in the 70s, followed by the return of clouds and scattered drizzle by Tuesday...due to our old friend, the marine layer. I was at the ocean this past Monday, and I experienced the true marine layer...fog all day. (See my picture below).

You can barely see the waves...but the clouds lifted in the evening. Expect that in the interior as well. 

Have a safe and happy Fourth!