After lying dormant for two-thirds of the year, it was back to work this morning.
Roused from a months-long hibernation, local ice scrapers returned to the job today as the mercury dipped to 31 degrees in Seattle—the city’s first freeze since March 4. The chilly reading—our coldest since slumping to 29 last January—is a sign of things to come, with more frosty mornings a guarantee as winter fast approaches. All told, Seattle averages 33 days at or below freezing on an annual basis, the overwhelming majority of which fall between November and March.
In other words, the ice scrapers will be rising with the rest of us for a while.
They’ll have their work cut out for them again tomorrow, with the city expected to bag its second freeze in as many days under starry skies. After another sun-splashed day today, temperatures should tumble from the mid 40s to the lower 30s and upper 20s overnight as cool Canadian air continues trickling into the region.
After the frigid start to Friday, we’ll rebound nicely to near 45 degrees as our sunny spell enters day three. The unusually dry conditions—the second half of November is typically the wettest time of the year around here—are all thanks to a strong ridge of high pressure lurking over the eastern Pacific. As we progress into the weekend, this ridge will actually nudge closer to us, keeping the sunshine going while boosting temperatures a smidge.
At this point, both Saturday and Sunday look to kick off on a chilly note—with lows once more hovering near freezing—before a healthy dose of sunshine lifts us back to the mid or upper 40s. Similar weather is in the cards for early next week, with temperatures inching past 50 degrees Monday and Tuesday as high pressure remains parked nearby.
Long-range weather models stay the course through Thanksgiving as the ridge of high pressure continues to shunt storms to our north and south, leaving Western Washington in the clear. In fact, there’s even a chance that the 0.04 inches of rain that fell on Tuesday could be the month’s last—although late November’s stormy history would suggest otherwise.
In short, go ahead and put away those umbrellas for now. Just don’t let them hibernate.
