The rain is a big reminder that fall has arrived, but there’s hope for the weekend
Sep 27, 2023, 11:39 AM | Updated: 2:14 pm
A rainy day in Seattle's Eastlake neighborhood. (Photo: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest)
(Photo: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest)
El Niño has dipped its toe in the water, and despite heavy rain in the Puget Sound area this week, the weekend looks fabulous.
“The showers are expected to taper off Wednesday afternoon,” Trent Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said. “We could see a convergence zone forming Wednesday evening.”
Any strong winds will be over by Wednesday night.
“You’re going to see decreasing showers beginning Wednesday afternoon,” KIRO Newsradio meteorologist Ted Buehner said. “Thursday through the weekend should be nice.”
Related news: How to prepare for El Niño
“The weather system in the Gulf of Alaska has changed our weather,” Buehner said.
El Niño events tend to take place every two to seven years and reach their peak intensities between December and April, although in the northwest, we can feel its effects anytime.
“Some recent research suggests that global warming may make El Niño and La Niña events stronger and more frequent,” NOAA Meteorologist Nathaniel Johnson said in an email to Fast Company.
“Studies indicate that the atmospheric circulation response to El Niño in the North Pacific will strengthen and shift eastward under global warming, which would alter the impacts over the U.S.,” Johnson continued.
Warmer than normal sea surface temperatures should develop across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The change creates what scientists call a “feedback loop” with the atmosphere: As eastern sea surface temperatures rise, trade winds weaken, setting off a chain of events that cause temperatures to rise even more.
“Drier-than-average conditions are typical for the Pacific Northwest,” Johnson said.
Back here at home, after the rains clear on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the 60s.
Contributing: Ted Buehner
