A quick round of wind and rain...and now things gradually tone down.The matter at hand is that the storm system responsible for all of this has no immediate pl
A quick round of wind and rain...and now things gradually tone down.
Wednesday was the wettest day, with some areas of the Olympic Peninsula picking up more than 3 inches of rain.
Jefferson Creek, near Lake Cushman, received 3.4 inches. Wednesday was also the windiest day, with 50 mph gusts funneling through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and reaching Dungeness Spit.
It was the stormiest—and most fall-like—day for Seattle as well, with nearly a quarter-inch of beneficial rain and wind gusts up to 26 mph.
Since then, most advisories have expired, including wind advisories and air-quality alerts for smoke east of the Cascades. Wildfire growth and smoke production in central Washington have slowed. However, seas are still a bit rough and a few small craft advisories remain.
Still, isolated lightning will remain possible in any showers through Saturday, especially near the coast.
The matter at hand is that the storm system responsible for all of this has no immediate plans to vacate.
Its slow progress eastward and gradual weakening mean our return to calmer weather will also be slow and steady, taking much of the holiday weekend.
Thursday's wind gusts will be closer to 10 to 20 mph around Seattle, although they could still approach 30 mph at times across northern Whidbey Island, the San Juans, and the Long Beach Peninsula.
Winds will be much weaker around Ellensburg as well. All wind advisories have expired. :-)
Showers, though, will continue off and on, especially Thursday morning.
Isolated lightning is also possible, particularly near the ocean beaches.
The parent low-pressure system, now in a weakening state, is basically just hanging out about 200 miles off our coast. Apparently, it's taking advantage of the long weekend also.
Its future track has been one we've been pulling our hair out over because of the uncertainty, but it'll likely meander around the Pacific Northwest without completely leaving through Labor Day.
The surface low will gradually weaken, though. That means winds die down and shower chances decrease. It's just that periodic impulses rotating around the broader upper low may bring brief showers at almost any point through Monday.
The cold air aloft associated with this disturbance will also maintain enough instability for isolated lightning through at least Saturday.
The cool nature of this system will keep temperatures from warming too much, too. We'll max out near 70 each day this holiday weekend after another cool day today.
Despite all this, Friday should bring more opportunities for sunshine between the clouds, with showers becoming more focused over the mountains.
Same for Saturday, although I'd watch for a shower redeveloping over the lowlands later in the afternoon, especially around the South Sound and Chehalis Valley.
Brief showers will be possible during the Apple Cup and Labor Day grillouts, but many spots may get lucky and eke out a mainly dry weekend. Just be ready to pivot around any passing showers. Consider having the grill cover at bay just in case!
Morning fog potential will also increase this weekend as winds become lighter and we get some overnight clearing.
