Summer weather gets an encore in Seattle this weekend

Summer-like weather is making a comeback through this weekend. With plenty of sunshine, temperatures in Western Washington are expected to rise into the 70s and lower 80s, 10 to 15 degrees above early-October averages.

Last year, summer-like weather also extended into October. In the first half of the month, there were 11 days of 70 degrees or higher temperatures punctuated by the mercury soaring to 88 degrees on Oct. 16, 2022, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the warmest ever so late in the year.

More weekend news: SR 520 bridge closed again this weekend for work on Montlake Lid

Strong high pressure aloft over the Pacific Northwest combined with low-level offshore flow from east of the Cascades to the Pacific coastline will create these warm, sunny summer-like conditions in October.

This nice weekend weather offers great opportunities for outdoor activities. Some examples include viewing fall colors in both the mountains and those emerging in the lowlands, or perhaps this weekend is another chance to wrap up that yard work before winter.

For night sky watchers, the Draconids meteor shower is something to observe under the clear skies this weekend. This meteor shower is expected to peak Saturday and Sunday nights with around 10 meteors to spot per hour, mostly visible during the evening hours versus after midnight.

Saturday night may be the best time to observe the Draconids meteor shower since the unseasonably warm, clear weather is going to give way to an incoming Pacific weather system that will spread clouds onshore Sunday night.

By Monday and Tuesday, that incoming weather system will return much cooler wet weather, with high temperatures dropping to only around 60 degrees. Until then, enjoy the encore of summer weather this weekend.

Follow Ted Buehner, the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist, on X, formerly known as Twitter.