Buehner: Summer weather is just around the corner
Jun 3, 2024, 6:13 AM
Seattle residents and families take to the lake to cool off from the summer heat. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Had enough of the cool, wet spring weather? Summer weather relief is on the way starting midway this week.
Yes, June started wet. The first of a pair of late spring atmospheric rivers swept inland Sunday dumping up to five inches of rain in the Olympics and parts of the Cascades. The coast received up to two inches of rain while western interior locations ranged from about a half inch to just over an inch of rain through Monday morning.
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Showers following this first wet weather system will dot Western Washington Monday. Temperatures will remain cool with highs about 10-15 degrees cooler than average, expecting to be in the mid-50s to lower 60s.
The next and final wet weather system is anticipated to produce more rain Tuesday as it moves onshore. Showers will follow into Tuesday night. Highs Tuesday are expected to climb to either side of 60.
A flood watch remains in place for many parts of Western Washington. Rivers are expected to rise through Tuesday and potentially reach flood stage in some of the usual flood-prone areas such as the Snoqualmie River and the Skokomish River in Mason County.
Total rain amounts for the first few days of this month could reach the entire month’s average rainfall. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Olympia normally receive just under one and a half inches of rain in June. After a drier-than-average May in parts of the interior, this rainfall will help make a dent in the precipitation deficit that has accumulated so far this year.
A big weather change is just around the corner
Starting Wednesday, strong high pressure aloft is forecast to build over the entire western U.S. with conditions quickly drying out and skies clearing. By Thursday and Friday, there will be plenty of summer weather and sunshine with temperatures warming well into the 70s. By Saturday, some areas will climb into the 80s, potentially the warmest temperatures of the year thus far.
More from Ted Buehner: Warm weather awaits after region’s last atmospheric river storm
For those in the southwestern U.S., some areas will soar about 100 degrees. Looking beyond the coming weekend, this period of warmer and drier weather is anticipated to extend into at least the middle of this month. For those with friends and relatives who are snowbirds, it may be time to start returning to Washington.
9 p.m. sunsets have arrived as the calendar approaches the summer equinox on June 20. The upcoming sunshine will permit many evening outdoor activities, a welcome change from the recent cool wet spring weather.
Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X.
