Western Washington weather alert: Heavy rain, mountain snow, high surf on tap

More November wet weather full of rain is on tap this week as a pair of North Pacific weather systems are expected to sweep onshore. The first system moved onshore Monday morning. Rain will turn to showers with some sun breaks by Monday afternoon. The showers and breaks in the cloud cover will continue into Tuesday.

The following weather system is anticipated to spread rain onshore Tuesday night, turning to showers by Wednesday afternoon. The showers mixed with sun breaks will extend into Thursday, tapering off Friday.

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This pair of weather systems will dump quite a bit of rain this week. The coast will likely get four to seven inches of rain, the Cascades three to six inches and Western Washington interiors from one to 2.5 inches of rainfall.

Mountain snow levels will start the week relatively high, ranging from about 4,000 to 5,000 feet. By Friday, snow levels are expected to drop below all mountain passes, close to 2,500 feet. Higher elevation slopes may get a foot or more of fresh snow through the week. Motorists should be prepared for snow on the roads as snow levels fall by the end of this week.

The rainfall and higher mountain snow levels into Thursday will result in rising river levels. A few rivers could reach flood stage by Wednesday or Thursday, such as the Skokomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish and Stillaguamish Rivers. Precipitation totals, rainfall rates, snow levels and temperatures will all play a role in how much each Western Washington river will rise.

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These weather systems will also kick up surf along the outer coastline. Hazardous seas and surf up to 20 feet are expected. Watching this active surf can be exciting, yet it can also have long wave run-ups and pick-up logs on the beach, creating hazardous conditions. Watching this surf action is best from higher locations.

The next full moon – the Beaver Moon – will be on Friday night, Nov. 15. The moon will likely peek through breaks in the clouds, creating a prospective Hollywood movie scene.

If longer-range weather guidance is on track, the latter part of the coming weekend also looks wet as yet another weather system is forecast to swing onshore. November is historically the wettest month of the year. This week’s weather is certainly living up to that billing.

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