First Day of March Brings Warm Temperatures, Dry Through Wednesday

The first day of March (and the first day of meteorological spring) brought partly sunny  conditions with the warmest temperatures of the year (highs below).

Most observation stations reached 57-65 degrees! 

The forecast for Puyallup from Weather Underground is below.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be nice days! Tuesday will be a bit cooler than Monday, with highs in the lower 50s. Temperatures will rebound on Wednesday, with highs approaching 60 degrees! 

Rain returns Thursday afternoon, continuing through the weekend. However, temperatures will stay warm, with highs of 54-62 degrees. It’ll feel more like spring than winter!

Looking in the long-term, past this weekend, temperatures decline but we will likely continue with highs at or above 50 degrees. The latest 6-10 day outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center for March 7-11 calls for a continued 50-60% chance of below average temperatures in the Pacific Northwest.

Enjoy the sun on Tuesday and Wednesday!

Calm Weekend Ahead

Thursday and Friday were breezy, and windy at times, across Puget Sound, especially south of Seattle. Take a look at Thursday’s peak gusts below.

Gusts of 30-45 mph were common around the area, peaking late Thursday.

Friday was sunny at times with breezy conditions, mainly early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Friday night will be chilly, with lows of 30-35 degrees. Below is the Puyallup forecast from Weather Underground.

Highs will climb to the low 50s by Sunday. Temperatures recently have been below average, a trend that will continue through the beginning of March.

The graph below from the NWS Climate Prediction Center shows that there is a 50-60% chance of below average temperatures through March 10th. 

To see how this looks on a 10-day forecast, view the forecast from The Weather Channel for Puyallup.

Enjoy the calm(er) weather!

Windy Conditions, Heavy Mountain Snow Expected Thursday and Friday

Wednesday was a dry and cool day around Western Washington. Some areas experienced dense fog and freezing temperatures on Wednesday morning. 

Late on Tuesday, colder air and showers from a leftover Puget Sound Convergence Zone brought localized lowland snow to parts of the South Central Sound, with a dusting near the Sound and a couple inches in the Enumclaw area. An unexpected surprise!

Our next storm system moves in late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. This storm will bring gusty winds, impactful mountain snow, and heavy rain showers with a chance of thunderstorms at times.

The winds will be the biggest impact in the South Central Sound area. Take a look at the expected winds from 5 forecast models below. (Big numbers=sustained winds, small numbers=gusts, arrows=wind direction)

Expect winds to increase early Thursday morning, continuing through Friday morning. Winds will be southwesterly, sustained 15-25 mph, with gusts 30-45 mph. Peak winds will likely occur late Thursday into early Friday. Forecasts suggest two periods of the strongest winds, Thursday morning and Thursday night/early Friday morning.

Tree damage and isolated power outages are possible.

Even stronger winds, gusting up to 50-60 mph, are possible in Whatcom County, the Admiralty Inlet area, and the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The incoming storm will also produce bands of heavy snow over the mountain passes. Windy conditions will also bring the hazard of blowing snow. The forecast below from NWS Seattle shows expected snow from Wednesday night to Friday night.

The snow level will be around 2,000 feet, combined with heavy snow bands, to bring 2-3 feet of snow to the passes, and nearly 6 feet (WOW!) to Paradise on Mt. Rainier.

Be prepared for dangerous winter driving conditions if you will be traveling on the mountain passes from Thursday through Saturday.

Finally, the rain. Due to generally westerly flow, the Puget Sound area will be in the rain shadow with this storm, as seen in the UW forecast model below, showing precipitation through 4 PM Friday.

Expect 0.08-0.32 inches of rain through Friday morning. Wind will impact the South Central Sound more than rain. The most rain will fall north and south of Puget Sound and on the west slopes of the Olympics.