


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA
Issued by NWS Seattle/Tacoma, WA
289 FXUS66 KSEW 092033 AFDSEW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Seattle WA 131 PM PDT Sun Mar 9 2025 .SYNOPSIS...A weak atmospheric river will sag south over the area then dissipate tonight as cold front moves through the area. The next weather system will arrive late Tuesday. A cool upper level trough will be over Western Washington Wednesday into Thursday. Another weather system will arrive at the end of the week. && .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...Gusty southerlies continue across much of the area early this afternoon as rain associated with a cold front spreads inland. The frontal signature is pretty evident on radar with its rope-like appearance and was crossing the central coast as of 19Z. It`ll be a soggy afternoon and evening ahead, but winds should ease relatively quickly for most areas behind the front this evening. Several inches of snow will quickly accumulate with and just behind the front at Mount Baker and Stevens Pass where a winter weather advisory remains in effect. A brief post-frontal convergence zone is expected over Snohomish and King counties 00Z-06Z. An upper trough axis will shift east of the Cascades tonight with just a few mainly mountain showers lingering into Monday under general zonal flow aloft. The next system will dig offshore during the day on Tuesday with perhaps a few showers across the coast and Olympic Peninsula, but interior areas look to be generally dry through much of the day. Models are trending weaker with the associated surface low with this system making wind-related impacts less likely for the coast and North Interior. Nonetheless, another frontal system will move inland Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with another round of lowland rain, mountain snow, and breezy to locally windy conditions. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...Upper troughing remains over the area on Thursday for cool, showery conditions. Current prospects for viewing Thursday night`s total lunar eclipse don`t look especially promising, but there might be some glimpses for some between showers. The next in a series of systems is slated to arrive later on Friday into Saturday. It doesn`t look especially strong as better jet support will be well south of the area. However, snow levels passes will remain below pass levels for the second half of the week with periods of snow impacting weekend travelers over the Cascades. 27 && .AVIATION...Southwesterly flow aloft as a front spreads through the region this afternoon. A mixed bag of ceilings out there as rain gradually arrives at area terminals, with generally MVFR/IFR across coastal terminals. Ceilings will be begin to lower to MVFR as rain approaches the interior, with some localized spots of IFR possible especially in lower prone terminals. Rain will continue throughout the rest of the evening as MVFR conditions will likely persist into early Monday morning as lingering moisture remains. Southerly winds have increased this afternoon generally sustained at 15 to 20 kts, with gusts up to 25 to 35 kts. The strongest gusts (30-35 kts) will be centered near KBLI and northern terminals. Southerly winds will turn more westerly/southwesterly around 20-22z and will decrease to around 5 to 10 knots, generally remaining light into the overnight hours. KSEA...VFR conditions this afternoon as rain nears the vicinity of the terminal. Rain looks to reach the terminal around 22z-00z with ceilings decreasing to MVFR. MVFR conditions look to remain into the overnight and into early Monday morning before gradually lifting back to VFR. Breezy southerly winds 15 to 18 kts with gusts up to 25 to 30 kts will continue through the afternoon hours before switching southwesterly and decreasing to around 5 to 10 knots. Winds will become light into Monday morning. Mazurkiewicz && .MARINE...A front will continue to make its way over the coastal waters this afternoon, bringing elevated winds and limited visibilities. Southerly winds over the waters will quickly change to southwesterly later this afternoon. A Small Craft Advisory has been issued for the Central and Eastern Entrance of the Strait of Juan De Fuca for a westerly push that will last through this evening. Elevated seas will continue over the coastal waters, so the Small Craft Advisory remains. High pressure looks to quickly build offshore Monday for a brief lull in the weather, before another frontal system looks to develop near the coastal waters late Tuesday into Wednesday. The aforementioned low pressure system could have the potential to bring another round of breezy winds and elevated seas to the area waters, with the marine pattern remaining active throughout the week. Coastal seas this afternoon 9 to 13 feet will start to decrease under 10 feet by Monday afternoon. Seas will remain steady until Tuesday night where seas will increase to around 10 to 13 feet. Seas look to remain around 10 feet through the end of the week. Mazurkiewicz && .HYDROLOGY...No river flooding in the next 7 days. The Skokomish river could rise into action stage tonight. Felton && .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...Wind Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon for Admiralty Inlet Area. Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM this afternoon to 5 AM PDT Monday for West Slopes North Cascades and Passes-West Slopes North Central Cascades and Passes. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon for Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To James Island Out 10 Nm-Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm- Coastal Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater Out 10 Nm-Grays Harbor Bar. Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for Central U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca. Gale Warning until 1 PM PDT this afternoon for Admiralty Inlet- East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands. Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca. Small Craft Advisory until 1 PM PDT this afternoon for Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM PDT Monday for Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To James Island 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville 10 To 60 Nm- Coastal Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater 10 To 60 Nm. && $$