The Brief
An atmospheric river is bringing unseasonably heavy rain to western Washington from Thursday evening through Saturday.
The heaviest rainfall and gusty winds are expected Friday evening into Saturday, with up to 5" of rain in mountainous areas.
While the rain disrupts outdoor plans, it aids the fire season during this typically dry period.
SEATTLE - After a day of highs in the 70s and sunbreaks, showers returned to western Washington Thursday evening.
An atmospheric river setup moves into the Pacific Northwest, bringing showers from Thursday evening through early Saturday. This will be an unseasonably wet system with more rainfall than we typically see in August and temperatures will also be well below average.
What To Expect
Showers will move in Thursday, but the heaviest rainfall will be Friday evening into Saturday along with gusty winds. The most rainfall will be in the mountains, with up to 5" possible in the heavier spots. The lowlands are looking at less than up to an inch and a half through Saturday. The rain is not great for outdoor plans, but this will help the fire season as we are in the driest stretch of the year.
It will be a cooler end of the week with highs in the upper 60s with plenty of rain and breezy winds.
Winds will also pick up Friday afternoon with wind gusts of up to 30 mph in some areas. It will be breezy overnight into Saturday.
Showers will linger Saturday, but drier skies by the afternoon. We will see more normal conditions next week with warmer temperatures possible by next weekend.
The Source
Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Claire Anderson and the National Weather Service.
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