Weather shifts from Seattle sunshine to possible urban flooding

Cloudy skies and some rain are a welcome relief from the smoky skies and hot temperatures, but now The National Weather Service (NWS) said that there is a chance for some flooding.

“We haven’t had any reports of urban flooding yet,” NWS meteorologist Samatha Borth told KIRO Newradio. “But that being said, with any heavier showers or any heavier thunderstorms over the area today, we might see some localized impacts.”

So, with predictions of a quarter inch of rain, urban flooding is unlikely Tuesday. However, there’s no doubt the rain has returned to the Puget Sound region.

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“We’ll have some rain all week,” KIRO Newsradio meteorologist Ted Buehner said. “But summer isn’t gone yet.”

Buehner forecasted that there will be cloudy skies in the lowlands and there will be a slight chance of a rain shower Wednesday. The high will be 72 degrees.

“In general, at least for the last 24 hours looking at some of the rain totals in the area, have been at least promising, at least in the sense that we’ve been seeing some rain,” Borth said. “Generally, across the area right now, as of last 24 hours, it’s been, I’d say, a 100th of an inch to two-tenths of an inch across the area locally higher for some spots in the mountains. We’re expected to still see some showers and some potential thunderstorms today. So we’re expecting to add to those totals as we go into the end of August.”

On Thursday, the clouds continue with occasional rain showers, and the high will be around 67 degrees.

According to NWS, we’ve had 29 inches of rain the past year. Local area totals should be more like 37 inches by this time of year based on yearly averages.

10 AM radar – Some heavy showers & thunderstorms moving north through the San Juan Islands (especially Orcas) and north through Point Roberts. Be prepared for brief downpours, frequent lightning, and possible small hail as these pass through. When thunder roars, go indoors! #wawx pic.twitter.com/jw4Fd65uwQ

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) August 29, 2023

We’ll start to see more sun on Friday as it will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain shower. The high will be around 73.

“I would say it’s still going to be cooler and cloudier at least for the next several days,” Borth explained. “But we might see a slight warm-up into the weekend before we see another decrease later next week.”‘

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We will see partly cloudy skies on Saturday, but a bit warmer. The high will be around 80.

On Sunday, expect showers in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high, however, will only get up to 67 degrees, and the chance of rain will be around 30%. But will the showers have any impact on the wildfires?

“Not much,” Borth said. “However, on the western side of the Cascades, it’ll help a little bit.”