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Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA
641 FXUS66 KSEW 061042 AFDSEW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Seattle WA 342 AM PDT Sat Jul 6 2024 .SYNOPSIS...Upper level ridge centered offshore will move over Western Washington Monday into Tuesday. The center of the ridge will shift east of the area Tuesday night with Western Washington remaining on the back side of the ridge Wednesday. Weak trough moving through Thursday with southwesterly flow aloft Friday. High temperatures for the interior peaking Monday and Tuesday while the coast begins to cool down. Increasing low level onshore flow will cool temperatures in the interior Wednesday but highs will still be above normal. && Key Messages: * HEAT...Continued warming will lead to hot conditions into next week. Temperatures will peak Monday and into Tuesday for the interior in the upper 80s to near 100. Highs will be cooler along the coast. A Heat Advisory is in effect for the entire region, ending Sunday evening for the coast, and Tuesday evening elsewhere. * FIRE WEATHER...Increasing dry and unstable conditions for this weekend has warranted the issuance of a Red Flag Warning for the Cascades through Tuesday. Fuels are drying out rapidly across the area. It is possible the Southeast Puget Sound lowlands may be added to the warning Sunday or Monday. See the Fire Weather discussion below for details. .SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/...Satellite imagery shows upper level ridge sitting offshore with clear skies over Western Washington. Temperatures at 3 am/10z were in the upper 50s to upper 60s. Little change in the pattern today with the upper level ridge with the ridge axis offshore, remaining over the area. Light northerly gradients in the lower levels. Cross Cascade gradients never do turn negative this afternoon and 850 mb winds continue to be light northwesterly. Temperatures aloft also showing little change with 850 mb temperatures in the plus 18C to plus 22C range. Similar daytime warming today versus yesterday but with morning lows this morning slightly warmer expecting high temperatures to be a couple of degrees warmer than Friday. For the interior highs in the 80s to mid 90s with upper 70s to mid 80s along the coast. Upper level ridge axis starts to drift towards Western Washington tonight and Sunday with the ridge axis close to the coast by 00z Monday. Even with the ridge axis approaching, temperatures aloft not warming with 850 mb temperatures remaining in the 18C to 22C range. Winds at 850 mb also remaining northwesterly. Highs once again for the interior in the 80s to mid 90s with upper 70s to mid 80s along the coast. Low temperatures Sunday morning in the Seattle metro area in the mid 60s. For the remainder of the area mid 50s to lower 60s. Upper level ridge axis moving over Western Washington Sunday night into Monday. Thermally induced surface trough moving up the coastline Sunday night will shift inland Monday. The increasing onshore flow along the coast will result in high temperatures in the early afternoon hours, mid 70s to lower 80s. For the interior with the thermally induced trough in the area surface gradients will go flat allowing high temperatures to warm another couple of degrees. Warmer locations like the Southwest Interior and Cascade foothills could get into the upper 90s. For the rest of the interior highs in the mid 80s to mid 90s. Low temperatures Monday morning similar to Sunday morning with mid 60s in the Seattle metro area and mid 50s to lower 60s elsewhere. .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...While the deterministic models move the upper level ridge axis east of the area Tuesday the ensembles are a little slower with this process. This will keep highs in the interior Tuesday near the readings Monday, mid 80s to upper 90s. The increasing difference in temperature between the coast and the interior will increase the onshore flow along the coast cooling high temperatures there into the lower to mid 70s. The combination of the upper level ridge moving east and a very weak shortwave riding by well to the north will increase the low level onshore flow over the interior Tuesday night and Wednesday. The increasing onshore flow will cool high temperatures Wednesday around 10 degrees for the interior with mid 70s to mid 80s in the forecast. Highs along the coast will also continue to cool, back into the 60s. The increasing onshore flow will cool morning lows Wednesday into the 50s and lower 60s. Very weak upper level trough moving through Western Washington Thursday. 500 mb heights only lowering to the lower to mid 580 dms. The trough will maintain the low level onshore flow pattern keeping highs in the mid 70s to mid 80s for the interior and in the 60s along the coast. Southwesterly flow aloft Friday with low level onshore flow continuing. Persistence a good forecast with little change in the temperatures from Thursday. Felton && .AVIATION...VFR conditions will continue with light winds and clear conditions as high pressure continues to build over the region. KSEA...VFR. North surface winds generally 6 kt or less overnight, increasing to 8-12 kt this afternoon. 15 && .MARINE...High pressure will continue to build over the area waters, resulting in north to northwest winds over the area waters. Fairly benign conditions will continue over the weekend and into early next. A surface front will move across the region on Wednesday, bringing in stronger pushes through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and bringing stronger northerly winds over the offshore waters. These elevated winds are likely to persist through the end of next week as a more progressive weather pattern returns. Seas generally 4 to 6 feet into the weekend and through early next week, rising to 6 to 8 feet towards the second half of next week. 15 && .FIRE WEATHER...One of the most concerning things about this spell of hot weather is the rapid drying out of fuels across Western Washington, especially in the interior. Red flag warning will remain in effect through Tuesday for fire weather zone 658 ( West Slopes of the North Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet ) and fire weather zone 659 ( West Slopes of the Central Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet ) with hot, dry and unstable conditions. Fuels are quickly reaching critical thresholds of dryness in other parts of Western Washington. The most concerning is the Southeast Puget Sound foothills. Minimum relative humidity values Sunday through Tuesday could drop below 20 percent. If the trends continue look for a watch or possible Red Flag warning to be issued for this location as well as early as Sunday. Critical relative humidity values are also possible in the Olympic Mountain valleys through the weekend but at this point does not look to be widespread enough to add this area to the warning. Decent relative humidity recovery for the Olympic and coastal zones Monday but interior zones will have to wait until Tuesday night into Wednesday to see some improvement. Let`s be careful out there! Felton && .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...Heat Advisory until 10 PM PDT Tuesday for Admiralty Inlet Area- Bellevue and Vicinity-Bremerton and Vicinity-East Puget Sound Lowlands-Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca-Everett and Vicinity-Hood Canal Area-Lower Chehalis Valley Area- Olympics-San Juan County-Seattle and Vicinity-Southwest Interior-Tacoma Area-West Slopes North Cascades and Passes- West Slopes North Central Cascades and Passes-West Slopes South Central Cascades and Passes-Western Skagit County- Western Whatcom County. Heat Advisory until 10 PM PDT Sunday for Central Coast-North Coast-Western Strait of Juan De Fuca. Red Flag Warning from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT Tuesday for West Slopes of the Central Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet-West Slopes of the North Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet. PZ...None. && $$