Seattle weather turning corner with sunshine, 80s next weekend

After weeks of wet weather interspersed with days of sunshine, Seattle might finally be approaching summer, with expected temperatures as high as the low 80s this upcoming weekend.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said that the weather is likely to start to get hot starting in the middle of the week. Wednesday, some weather analysts are predicting weather starting to rise up o the upper-60s starting Wednesday.

While we’re still several days out, confidence is increasing in a mid to late week warm up across W WA. Below are the chances of high temperatures reaching 80°F or above next Saturday- May 13th. #wawx pic.twitter.com/6F9y66SdO2

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) May 7, 2023

Before that though the Puget Sound region is facing the possibility of thunderstorms Monday afternoon, with some light sprinkles of rain on Tuesday.

Isolated thunderstorms are possible today (generally 15-25% chance) across portions of Western Washington, with the best potential along the Cascades. When thunder roars, go indoors! #WAwx pic.twitter.com/6WWRgIS1Va

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) May 8, 2023

So is this the start of a shift towards summer weather?

May 5 was a wet Cinco de Mayo in the Puget Sound region. Sea-Tac Airport received 0.70 inches of rain, setting a new daily rainfall record over the previous record of 0.59 inches in 2009. Other rain amounts in the region included nearly an inch in Everett (0.98), over nine-tenths of an inch in Poulsbo (0.91), nearly three-quarters of an inch in Auburn (0.74), and close to seven-tenths of an inch (0.69) in Issaquah.

Some said if it is going to rain in May – do it all at once and get it over with. Others saw Saturday’s soggy day as – the yard does not need to be watered for a while. Allergy sufferers welcomed the rain to wash away all the recent pollen. Yet, others may have said the dreary day offered a reason to go see a movie or get stuff done inside. Likely many others were venting – when it going to stop raining and get some real spring sunshine!

How does WA mountain snowpack water supply look this year?

The answer to that last appeal is just around the corner. As this weekend dries out, the weather pattern is on track for a dramatic change by mid-week. Higher pressure aloft is forecast to build over the Pacific Northwest and extend through at least the coming weekend. In addition, the airflow near the surface is set to turn offshore, that is, from land to sea, which will also help warm the air mass.

This big change in the overall weather pattern will create clearing skies and warming temperatures. By mid-week, temperatures will rise well into the 60s, with some places cracking the 70-degree mark. The warming trend will continue into the weekend, with the mercury rising well into the 70s and some locations reaching the 80s.

In addition, by this coming weekend, the number of daylight hours will edge above 15 hours. Perhaps hard to believe, but now more than six weeks removed from the spring equinox, the sun’s angle in the sky is now the same as in early August. So with plenty of developing spring sunshine and a warmer weather pattern later this week, having temperatures jump into the 70s and even the 80s this weekend is quite plausible.

Until then, a few more showers will likely linger into early this week and test patience. After that, bring on the spring sunshine and warmth!

Follow Ted Buehner, the KIRO FM news meteorologist on Twitter