After fairly tranquil weather so far this month, the weather is going to kick up a few notches over the coming hours.  One of the strongest storms we have seen so far this winter is moving in early Friday morning.   Looking at the satellite image, that storm is starting to take shape near the Aleutian Islands.

Before it arrives, we have the opening act moving in for Thursday. This system is pushing in a warm front, bringing increasing showers during the morning hours.  The rain will not be overly impressive with this system; most areas around the sound pick up less than 0.25” of rain.  It will be breezy with southerly winds picking up during the late morning and early afternoon.  Sustained winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts around 30 mph are forecast for Puget Sound. 

A Stormy Friday

A strong cold front will bring areas of heavy rain, gusty winds, and lots of mountain snow on Friday.  Here is the breakdown: 

Rain: Moves in during the morning.  Heaviest downpours are expected between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  It will not be a good day to take your lunch break outside!  Rainfall totals around the sound are expected to be in the 0.25” to 1” range.  The wettest neighborhoods will be around the south sound.  Some neighborhoods around Pierce and Thurston Counties will likely surpass an inch of rain.  The coast will get soaked with 1 to 2 inches of rain.

Wind: As the cold front approaches during the morning, southerly winds will be widespread across Puget Sound.  Sustained winds will be in the 15 to 25 mph range with gusts 30 to 50 mph.  The strongest winds are expected along the coast and north of Everett.  Once the front passes through early in the afternoon, winds will turn westerly.   They will be gusty through Saturday morning, especially through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and along the coast.  High surf can be expected along the ocean beaches on Saturday with waves 25 to 30 feet high. 

Mountain Snow: Snow starts picking up over the Cascades on Thursday with a Winter Weather Advisory in effect.  With the snow level hanging around 2,000 feet, 6 to 16 inches of new snow is forecast.  Snoqualmie Pass will be on the lower end of that range.  Snow will be much heavier on Friday.  Another 1 to 2 feet can be expected, especially above 3,500 feet.  Before the colder air works in with this storm during the afternoon, Snoqualmie Pass will turn to rain or a rain/snow mix Friday morning.  It will be back to snow later in the afternoon and evening. 

Weekend Forecast

The weather will not be as active this weekend.  Showers become scattered on Saturday with some sunbreaks in the afternoon. With much colder air in place Saturday morning, we could see a few isolated showers toward the foothills in the form of a rain/snow mix.  Not looking at any significant accumulation here, but the chance is there during the morning hours.  Most of the rain is expected to be around a Puget Sound Convergence Zone north of Seattle during the day on Saturday  Another system moves in Sunday, bringing increasing showers later in the evening.  

Have a great day!  

-Sam Argier, KIRO 7 Meteorologist