Rain set to return after Seattle’s second driest March on record

As April officially begins, the forecast for the day will once again get close to 70 degrees, right after the second driest March Seattle’s ever had on record. That will quickly shift though, with rain set to return this month in a big way.

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After seeing just 1.37 inches of rain in March, Seattle’s in for a significantly wetter April.

“Everything is about to change,” said KIRO 7 Meteorologist Morgan Palmer.

Palmer estimates that the lowland areas of the region could see upwards of two inches of rain in just the next 15 days, a number that would out-pace March’s total rainfall in half a month.

After one last gasp of warm weather on Monday, the Greater Seattle Area could see precipitation as early as Tuesday, leading right into three straight days of rain starting Wednesday.

And while it may be disappointing to see Seattle’s sunny spring take April off, it’s also a much-needed change for the region. A three-day stretch of record-setting warm weather in March saw 25 fires pop up across the Puget Sound Region, with many concerned that it could be a harbinger of what’s to come later this year.

“Many worry it’s going to be a bad summer,” said KIRO 7 TV Reporter Shelby Miller.

Initial reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called for a 40 to 50 percent chance of “drier than normal” weather this spring for Western Washington. That prediction has since flipped, with the region now sitting between a 40 to 60 percent likelihood for above-average precipitation.

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