This week’s weather: April showers to bring May flowers

After all the sunshine and temperatures climbing into the 60s over the weekend, a return to cooler spring-like weather is on tap to start the week. Scattered showers are expected Monday – Tax Day — lingering into Tuesday as a weak Pacific weather system moves through the region from the Gulf of Alaska.

High temperatures will be much cooler through Tuesday, plunging about 10-15 degrees from those over the weekend, reaching only into the lower 50s. Lows will hover around 40 degrees across the region.

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The cooler, more moist weather will also return snowfall to the passes with the mountain snow levels dropping to around 3,000 feet through Tuesday. Snow amounts will be limited to just a few inches and could briefly impact mountain pass travel.

Perhaps these additional April showers will bring May flowers – more on that traditional proverb later. The days continue to get longer. Monday will mark the year’s first 8 p.m. sunset. In addition, the sun angle in the sky now matches that of days in late August.

And speaking of August, higher pressure is forecast to rebuild into the region starting Wednesday and hold on through the rest of the week, resuming the sunshine and warming temperatures. By Friday, highs will rise well into the 60s with some of the usual warmer spots cracking the 70-degree mark. Low temperatures should be milder as well — in the 40s.

‘April showers bring May flowers’

The proverb “April showers bring May flowers” was first recorded in 1886 in the United Kingdom, and was a shorter version of “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.” In addition, a poem written by Thomas Tusser in 1610 included the phrase “Sweet April showers/Do spring May flowers.”

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The climate in the United Kingdom is similar to that of Western Washington. So from a weather perspective, this proverb often rings true in this region with the showers in the early half-spring offering moisture to support flowers that arise and flourish in May. With the longer days and higher sun in the sky, temperatures are usually warmer in May including soil temperatures that support flowers and other plant root growth.

Given the seasonal weather outlook for warmer-than-average and below-average precipitation expected later this spring and heading into summer, this several-century-old proverb will likely prove on track once again here in Western Washington.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter.