³ÉÈËXÕ¾

MYNORTHWEST WEATHER

Washington weather will feel like a yo-yo this week before the holiday weekend

May 20, 2024, 8:14 AM

Image: Boats can be seen at the Edmonds Marina on a sunny day in Edmonds on Saturday, March 16, 202...

Boats can be seen at the Edmonds Marina on a sunny day in Edmonds on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Photo: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest)

(Photo: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest)

It’s the week before what many people feel is the first summer holiday weekend of the year and the weather in Washington will feel like a yo-yo. Monday will have plenty of sunshine thanks to high pressure aloft. Highs will rise into the 60s – around average for the region this time of year.

Yet this sunshine will be short-lived. A weather system tracking southeast from the Gulf of Alaska will bring rain Tuesday and knock high temperatures down about 10 degrees as it’s only in the 50s. Showers are then expected to linger into Wednesday.

By Thursday, the temporary high pressure aloft should allow the sun to pop out again with highs warming into the 60s again. Skies should have enough clearing to see the full moon, called the Flower Moon, both Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Does Washington get tornadoes? What you need to know

Washington weather: Looking toward Memorial Day weekend

Heading into Memorial Day weekend, another weather system from the Gulf of Alaska is anticipated to roll through Western Washington Friday and Saturday for a renewed threat of showers and cooler temperatures. Highs both days should nudge into the lower 60s.

But not all is lost for the holiday weekend. Higher pressure is expected to build into the Pacific Northwest Sunday and Monday, bringing back some sunshine and drier conditions. Highs for the rest of the weekend should rebound back into the 60s.

The latest seasonal weather outlook was recently released by the National Weather Service’s . This refreshed outlook still points to overall warmer and drier than average conditions through June as well as into September.

Mount St. Helens eruption anniversary: Ted Buehner’s personal chronicle of the catastrophe as a forecaster

Much of Washington remains in drought conditions. is currently just over four inches below average for the year. Olympia is about an inch and a quarter below average. The mountain snowpack usually peaks in early April and this year, finished 60 to 80% of normal.

The dry conditions have raised concerns about water supply and the wildfire threat this summer. Water managers are keeping an eye on supplies for agriculture, hydro power generation, enough water in rivers for fish, and municipal water resources.

Wildfire managers are concerned about an early start to the wildfire season and one that may extend into early fall. In fact, several wildfires in Western Washington were extinguished several weeks ago, reflecting the current dry surroundings.

This drier than normal situation points to a community wide effort to help conserve water and avoid wildfire starts through this summer.

Ted Buehner is the ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on .

MyNorthwest Weather

Flash flood watch...

³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio staff

Flash flood watch issued for Washington Cascades

Flash flood watches have been issued for the Washington Cascades Thursday.

2 days ago

Seattle heat wildfires cold weather...

MyNorthwest Staff

Cooler temperatures, cloudy skies bring relief to Seattle after heat stretch

After a lengthy stretch of summer heat, Seattle is expected to see cooler temperatures in the coming days, bringing some relief from recent highs in the low 80s.

2 days ago

Bear Gulch Fire...

Frank Lenzi

Bear Gulch Fire expands to more than 3,000 acres, Level 3 evacuation orders remain in place

The Bear Gulch Fire has jumped to more than 3,000 acres and Level 3 evacuation orders are in place.

3 days ago

tsunami advisory washington coast...

Julia Dallas

Tsunami advisory for Washington coast canceled after 8.8 earthquake near Russia

A tsunami advisory has been issued for the Washington coast following a large earthquake.

4 days ago

seafair week forecast...

Ted Buehner

Record heat scorched Sea-Tac on this day in 2009 — Seafair returns with mixed weather

As records were hit on July 29 in 2009, this upcoming Seafair week forecast appears to have mixed weather.

4 days ago

Maria Cantwell interview CNN...

Jason Sutich

WA senator presses Trump for modernized weather strategy during CNN appearance

Senator Cantwell proposes a five-point strategy to enhance the U.S. response to weather challenges in a letter to President Trump.

12 days ago

Washington weather will feel like a yo-yo this week before the holiday weekend