Wednesday was a temperature roller coaster! In true Pacific Northwest fashion, we had balmy and freezing temperatures in the same day!
Take a look at Wednesday morning lows around the South Sound.
Brrrr!!! Some spots dropped to the mid-upper 20s.
As the day went on...temperatures warmed substantially, aided by warm downslope flow out of the Cascades. Humidity dropped to 30-50%, and it was quite warm for December! Take a look at the high temperatures below. It was a great day for those who like to be outside!
Wow! Highs of 50-60 degrees...a 20-30 degree increase from the morning!!
Due to a large area of high pressure east of the Cascades, winds accelerated through local gaps in the terrain, producing gusts of 20-40 mph near Enumclaw and North Bend. Areas sheltered from the warming gap winds (also known as Cascadia winds) had cooler temperatures Wednesday morning compared to areas that are exposed to these winds. (low 40s in North Bend vs mid-upper 20s around Puyallup).
Looking ahead...a dissipating frontal system will bring clouds to the area from Thursday through early Friday.
Due to the clouds, expect temperatures to not be as cold as Wednesday morning, though lows of 30-36 degrees are likely through Friday. After Friday, temperatures moderate some, with a return of rain likely by next week.
Below is the Puyallup forecast from weather.com. (“Tonight” refers to Wednesday night).
One more weather detail to cover...due to relatively light winds and poor mixing of air, the local air quality (called AQI...remember this from September?) has been degraded into the “moderate” category due to a buildup of pollutants such as exhaust and wood smoke.
Moderate AQI means that extremely sensitive people should take caution. This is a very small percentage of the population.
Below is the Puyallup AQI as of Wednesday night, with the AQI forecast as well.
I’d expect any stagnant air to clear out by early next week.
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