Rain Returns, Midweek Break, Cold Extended Forecast

FastCast—Monday, Mar. 20 to Friday, Mar. 24:

After a warm few days, rain is returning to Western Washington. Expect steady rain and showers at times from late Sunday night through late Monday, totaling 0.2-0.5” around the lowlands, with isolated higher totals possible. Monday’s highs will be in the low 50s, with lows in the low 40s. Much nicer weather is expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 50s (isolated spots may reach the low 60s), with lows in the mid 30s to low 40s. Rain and significantly below average temperatures are likely for Thursday and Friday, with highs only reaching the upper 40s and lows in the mid 30s. Stay tuned for more updates!

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Rain is back after a few nice days, but a brief break with sun isn’t too far behind. Let’s take a look at the forecast.

Below is the European model forecast for rain through Wednesday night (though most will fall by early Tuesday morning).

Generally, expect 0.2-0.5” across the region, with some isolated higher totals possible. Also note that Eastern Washington will receive 0.1-0.6”, most near the Cascades. No rain is expected from Spokane northward.

Since temperatures are still on the cooler side, mountain snow is expected, mainly through early Tuesday morning. The European model forecast is below.

This will generally be light snow, and impacts to the passes aren’t going to be significant. Expect 2-6” at the passes through early Tuesday.

However, better weather is coming. The European model forecast below shows high temperatures on Wednesday (note that Tuesday will be similar, just a tad cooler).

Expect partly to mostly sunny conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, with lowland highs in the mid to upper 50s on Tuesday and in the upper 50s to low 60s on Wednesday.

The remainder of the week (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) will have highs significantly below normal, likely only reaching the upper 40s. Beyond Saturday (25th), there is high confidence in continued below average temperatures. The NWS Climate Prediction Center (CPC) temperature outlook is below, for March 25-29.

This outlook shows a 70-90% chance of below average temperatures through the end of March across the Pacific Northwest. Generally, this means highs will struggle to reach the low 50s. Stay tuned!