March 2014: Seattle’s Wettest March Ever

Into the history books we go.

A strong cold front ripping through the region today has now dumped 0.44 inches in the rain gauge at Sea-Tac Airport—officially making this month the wettest March on record in Seattle, with 8.46 inches and counting.

The soggy month, which will also go down as our dampest since at least December 2010, leapfrogged into first place on the list of all-time wettest Marches, surpassing the previous mark of 8.40 inches from March 1950 while also bumping March 1997 (8.15 inches) down to third. Seattle weather records date back to 1891, when observations were first taken at the Federal Building in downtown Seattle. Since 1945, Sea-Tac Airport has served as the official weather-reporting site for the city.

So, where do we go from here?

Unfortunately, more rain is on the horizon even as the front moves away, thanks to a cold area of low pressure lurking offshore. As we head further into the weekend, this low will start to lob bands of showers in our direction—touching off periodic downpours, complete with thunder and lightning at times. Highs will stay parked in the low- to mid-50s through Sunday, with overnight temperatures dipping to the lower 40s.

The lion’s share of the rain this weekend looks to fall on Saturday, with a quarter-inch or so around Seattle and up to half an inch east of Lake Washington. Sunday should trend drier, with amounts only adding up to a tenth of an inch or so around Seattle—although there is the potential for more further north over Snohomish and Skagit counties, including the area around the Oso mudslide.

On-and-off showers linger into Monday, the final day of the month, as we bid adieu to what’s been an astoundingly wet March across Western Washington. Thankfully, dry weather looks to settle in for Tuesday and Wednesday as we kick off a new month, with partly sunny skies and slightly warmer temperatures taking hold.

Here’s to hoping April charts a much drier course.