Earlier this winter, we went three months without a 1-inch rainfall.
This past week, we went all of three days.
Fresh off the heels of Wednesday’s 1.84-inch drubbing, Seattle took another one to the chin yesterday, walloped by 1.27 inches of rain as a juicy warm front blew through. With the latest dousing, our monthly rainfall tally now stands at a ridiculous 5.07 inches—four times the average for the first eight days of March, and a hefty inch-plus above the monthly norm.
Even more impressive, we’ve all but wiped away the drought-like conditions that plagued us for much of the fall and winter. A mere 30 days ago, total precipitation in Seattle since October was running at just 50 percent of average—sparking serious concerns about a water shortage this summer. Since then, we’ve undergone a stunning turnaround, logging 11 inches of rain in the last four weeks—boosting our rainy season total to 86 percent of normal.
We’ll pad the numbers a little more tonight as another batch of moisture rolls in, dropping a quarter-inch of rain around Seattle, mainly after 7 p.m. Temperatures will remain mild throughout, parked in the low- to mid-50s well into the evening.
Showers peter out overnight under gradually clearing skies, allowing temperatures to finally sink into the mid 40s. A mix of sun and clouds should greet commuters Monday morning, with rain chances increasing a bit as we head into the second part of the day. Fortunately, anything that falls will be on the light side—adding up to a tenth of an inch or less.
We dry out completely Monday night into Tuesday as a ridge of high pressure noses in from the west, bringing back the sunshine in full force. Tuesday should dawn bright and clear, with afternoon temperatures climbing above the 55-degree mark.
A fresh band of clouds swirls in from the Pacific on Wednesday, dialing things back to partly sunny—but we’ll stay dry regardless. Temperatures will be a repeat of Tuesday’s, peaking a few notches below 60.
We get one more rain-free day on Thursday, alternating between sun and clouds as highs again spring into the upper 50s. Light rain then squeezes back into the picture on Friday, with up to a quarter-inch for Seattle—followed by a few leftover showers next Saturday.
After yesterday’s hosing, that doesn’t sound like a half bad way to start a weekend.
