Didn’t we just have our wettest day of the year?
It’s been less than three weeks since Seattle was drenched with 1.36 inches of rain on Oct. 30—beating out the 1.09 inches that fell on Jan. 29 for the honor of 2012’s wettest day. Now, only half a month later, a strong November storm is poised to bear down on the region later tonight into tomorrow, inundating Puget Sound with up to two inches of rain.
With the majority of the rain expected to fall tomorrow, Monday is likely to eclipse Oct. 30 as the soggiest of the year, with a good inch-and-a-half dousing for Seattle. The day is also likely to end up as the wettest Nov. 19 on record at Sea-Tac Airport, with the current mark of 1.23 inches from 1962 almost certain to fall.
The heaviest of the rain should arrive in two batches—one during the mid-morning hours, and another between 5-8 p.m. Winds will also be breezy, especially early Monday morning, with gusts nearing 30 mph around Seattle. Temperatures will hover around 50 degrees.
Even windier conditions are likely along the coast and in Whatcom and Skagit counties—but the brunt of these winds will actually arrive later tonight, as the leading edge of rain reaches Western Washington. Currently, a high wind warning is in effect for both of these areas, with gusts up to 60 mph possible.
Fairly strong winds are also likely overnight into Monday morning further south, in Southwest Washington and the Portland area, with wind gusts reaching 45 or even 50 mph as a strong front moves ashore. As if the wind won’t be enough of a problem, Portland is also under the gun for an incredibly wet day—much damper than we’ll see up here—with the latest models inundating the Rose City with 2 to 3 inches of rain. To the west, along the Oregon Coast Range, more than 5 inches of rain is likely in some spots—raising serious flooding concerns for much of Northwest Oregon.
Back up in Seattle, our rain will wind down Monday night, and by Tuesday, we should be much drier. The latest models only predict a quarter-inch of rain around Puget Sound on Tuesday—a welcome relief after Monday’s downpours.
More rain comes back on Wednesday and Thanksgiving, but as of now, it doesn’t look nearly as heavy as what we’ll see in the next day or so. Rain also is likely on Friday, with totals creeping toward an inch—wet, sure, but not record wet.
Which is a good thing for those not wanting to one-up our latest wettest day of the year anytime soon.
