Scott Sistek 
Left: ECMWF plot for midweek showing a cool trough over the Pacific Northwest. Right: ECMWF plot for late next week showing a warm ridge over the Pacific Northwest
HAH! I know what you’re probably thinking: “There goes Scott, opening Pandora’s Box calling it a ‘perfect’ Seattle spring week. But I like the (sun/rain) and he probably means it’s going to be (rainy/sunny) and it won’t be perfect for me!”
OK so I get it. As many of you know, I’m one who cheers for the gray, rainy days that give Seattle its drizzly reputation — heck, my social media profiles even say I’m the unofficial spokesperson for Seattle’s rain fans. And I know I’m not alone (fellow rain fans – sound off in the comments!)
But I know there’s quite a few here who like the sunny days too. In this age, it seems one side always has to battle the other BUT…
What if I told you both sides of the perfect Seattle day is sunny or rainy debate can have it their way this week? Because the forecast is almost neatly split down the middle…
The sun fans are basking in the current phase with dry, sunny weather expected to last through Saturday. It probably won’t be *quite* as sunny as Friday because some high clouds will be moving in*, but still an easy day to be outside with no real weather concerns.
*WAIT, YOU SAID HIGH CLOUDS, DON’T THOSE MANY TIMES COME BEFORE LOW CLOUDS?
In this case, yes. Because it’s time to SHOUT OUT TO THE RAIN FANS! (Mentally play that dance party DJ air horn music here… I have no idea how to phonetically type it out… but here’s my best attempt: “PewPewPewPewwwwwww”)(Party air horn fans, sound off on how to phonetically type that in the comments…)
We have a weak weather system heading our way for Sunday that will spread some light rain at times through western Washington, starting on the coast in the morning and working its way into the Puget Sound region by midday or afternoon.
By Seattle standards, this should rate as an almost invisible rain that we don’t even really notice. A few inches of snow will fall in the mountains too. It’ll be a little breezy but just enough to rustle the trees a bit.
The main factors will be a convergence zone Sunday evening and into the night after the “storm” passes, and a brief batch of chilly air in its wake that could even bring a light freeze to the outlying areas Monday morning.
But we’ll quickly dry out Sunday night and despite the chilly start, SUN FANS WILL WANT TO CUE THE SPINNING GLITTER BALL BECAUSE Monday will end up being sunny and… on the cool side but still up around 50 for a high temperature. We can work with that.
Tuesday looks reasonably sunny too! March is going out like a lamb just like the prophecy states! Sun fans may get delirious: IT MAY BE AGES BEFORE RAIN FANS DAMPEN THIS SUN FAN’S PAR-TAY! WOOOO… hey, why is no one else dancing?
Well, if by ages, you mean a few hours. (Cue: Deflated party balloon sound effect. Or, oh boy, here we try again: PPPPPPPpppppbbbbbtttt) (Deflated balloon sound effect fans, sound off on how to phonetically type that in the comments…)
A more vigorous storm system will move in on Wednesday with gray skies, steady rains, and some gusty winds for the rain fans JUST LIKE SEATTLE IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN LATE MARCH… ER, EARLY APRIL! The mountains will even get another dollop of snow though probably still quite a bit less than a foot.
Rain looks to linger into Thursday, leaving us with 3 days of sun (Saturday, Monday, Tuesday) and 3 days of rain (Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday.) Can’t ask for much more to find perfection in there…unless you want 6 inches of snow in Seattle or 90+ degrees.
Tie-breaker? Long range forecasts suggests the sun fans are favored for the end the week and next weekend. (Sun fans: “GIVE ME THAT: PewPewPewPewwwwwww!”)
YOU KNOW WHO ELSE WANTS A WHACK AT THE PARTY HORN?
Probably those in the Desert Southwest. Because while it’ll have been nearly TWO WEEKS of historic heat that has pretty much rendered the previous March record books as a footnote, the storm that’s coming into here middle of next week may swing through the Southwest later in the week.
Dare I say some indications are there are going to be BLUE blobs of below average temps over there! Some snow may fall in the Sierra Nevada again!
(Don’t worry though, the heat returns shortly thereafter 😛 )