Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Spring Heat Wave Update

FastCast—Thursday, Apr. 27 to Sunday, Apr. 30:

A spring heat wave is still in the forecast for the Pacific Northwest. On Thursday, expect decreasing clouds, with lowland highs in the low 60s (north) to low 70s (south), with highs in the low 70s from Olympia southward, in the upper 50s to mid 60s at the beaches (low 70s inland), and in the upper 60s to mid 70s with sunny conditions in Eastern Washington. Friday and Saturday will be the hottest days. Expect highs in the lowlands to reach the low 70s to low 80s, with areas near the water north of Everett in the mid to upper 60s, low to mid 60s on the ocean beaches (cooling on Saturday to the 50s), mid to upper 70s inland from the beaches, and in the mid 70s to mid 80s in Eastern Washington. The lowlands will be relatively similar on Saturday, with Eastern Washington being warmer (upper 70s to upper 80s) and the coast being cooler (mid 50s to low 60s). Conditions west of the Cascades will cool to the upper 50s to low 60s on Sunday, with cloudy conditions. Meanwhile, warmth will continue in Eastern Washington, with more highs in the mid 70s to low 80s. Back in the lowlands, expect lows through Sunday to be in the mid 40s to low 50s. Despite warm temperatures, area rivers & lakes are in the upper 30s to mid 40s, with Puget Sound & the ocean in the upper 40s. Though it looks “cooling”, the waters are dangerous at this time of year!

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Continue reading the full blog below!

After a historically cold April, the month will end with a spring heat wave! Let’s take a look at the upcoming forecasts.

Below are Thursday’s high temperatures from the GFS model.


Expect the lowlands to reach the mid 60s to low 70s from Seattle southward and the low to mid 60s from Seattle north. Areas from Olympia south will reach the low 70s, along with inland communities on the coast. The ocean beaches will remain in the upper 50s to low 60s, and Eastern Washington will warm up to the upper 60s to upper 70s. 

Lows will still be crisp in the mornings, especially west of the Cascades. Below is the GFS forecast for Friday morning’s lows.


Expect morning lows in the mid to upper 40s across Western Washington, with lows in the mid 40s to mid 50s in Eastern Washington. This provides for a refreshing cooldown, a luxury of warm spring days that we aren’t afforded in the summertime.

Now for the real warmth…below is the GFS forecast for Friday’s highs.


On Friday, expect lowland highs from Seattle south in the mid 70s to low 80s, warmest near the foothills. Areas from Olympia south through Portland will reach the mid 70s to mid 80s, along with the Coast Range and inland coastal communities in WA & OR. Ocean beaches will reach the mid 60s, and Eastern Washington will reach the low 70s to low 80s.

Record highs may be challenged, mainly west of the Cascades. After months of below average temperatures, Friday will be quite a pendulum swing. Just how far above average will these highs be? Take a look at the GFS forecast for temperature anomalies across the Northwest on Friday.


Wow! Temperatures in the Pacific Northwest will be 5-20º above average for the metro areas and up to 30º above average in the mountains!

Two things to note: Rivers, mainly east of the Cascades, will rise this weekend, with some rivers nearing bankfull. Also, due to rapidly warming temperatures, avalanches are possible in the backcountry, so be prepared. 

Finally, a quick look at Wednesday’s high temperatures, seen below.


Areas from Seattle southward generally reached the mid 60s to low 70s, with the Portland area reaching the mid 70s and Eastern Washington reaching the low 70s to low 80s! Areas from Seattle northward only reached the upper 50s to low 60s, due to clouds from a weather system that moved through British Columbia. With the exception of the aforementioned cooler areas, most temperatures on Wednesday were warmer than forecasts predicted. Keep that in mind as we head into even warmer temperatures through Saturday!

Enjoy the first warmth of the season!

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