Wet, windy weather ahead: Western WA braces for heavy rain, mountain snow

This week looks to be a wet one, giving support to November historically being the wettest month of the year.

Following the weekend’s wet Pacific frontal system, an upper-level low in the Gulf of Alaska is forecast to spin a series of weather systems into Western Washington this week. A cool, moist, unstable air mass on Monday will produce showers with limited sun breaks across the region.

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High temperatures Monday will rise only into the 40s, about five degrees or so below mid-November average temperatures. The cool showery weather will also result in low snow levels, close to 1500 feet — well below mountain highway pass levels. Motorists should be prepared for snow on the roads and, by state law, at least carry chains and be ready to use them.

The showers are expected to taper off Monday night, yet another system is anticipated to spread rain inland Tuesday. Mountain snow levels will again remain below pass levels, and lowland high temperatures will remain in the 40s.

This next system looks to be a wet one, offering several inches of rain through Wednesday. The heaviest rain amounts will be along the coast and in the Olympics. The rainfall will push river levels higher and must be monitored for the potential of exceeding flood stage.

This system is expected to be a windy one as well as the parent weather system’s surface low intensifies well offshore. The strongest winds are expected to be along the coast and north of Everett Tuesday night and have the potential to create some power outages.

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The rest of the week is quite likely to be one of showers and some sunbreaks with lighter winds. High temperatures will likely reach around 50 degrees while lows fall only into the upper 30s to mid-40s. Mountain snow levels should rise to between 4,000 and 5,000 feet Thursday and Friday.

Higher elevations are likely to receive several feet of fresh snow throughout the week. The weather outlook for the rest of the month continues the trend of cooler and wetter than average conditions for Western Washington. For those thinking about waxing up those skis, they may have the opportunity to use them before the end of the month.

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