120  
FXUS66 KSEW 170342  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
842 PM PDT TUE SEP 16 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
ONSHORE FLOW RETURNS WEDNESDAY ALLOWING FOR  
TEMPERATURES TO RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL. CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD  
PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY RETURN THIS WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/  
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO  
THE FORECAST THIS EVENING. THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION CAN BE FOUND  
BELOW ALONG WITH UPDATES TO THE AVIATION AND MARINE SECTIONS:  
 
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE AND OFFSHORE FLOW IS GIVING HIGH TEMPS  
ACROSS WESTERN WA THIS EVENING. MOST SPOTS ARE IN THE 80S AND  
CLOSE TO 90 IN THE FOOTHILLS. DRY, GUSTY, EAST WINDS ARE ALSO  
BRINGING HUMIDITIES DOWN AND INTO THE 20S AND 30S FOR CRITICAL  
FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS - A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT.  
BOTH WINDS AND RHS WILL EASE/IMPROVE THIS EVENING.  
 
A TRANSITION BACK TO ONSHORE FLOW WILL BRING COOLER CONDITIONS TO  
THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. HIGHS WILL DIP BACK DOWN INTO THE 60S AND  
70S. A TROUGH MAY BRING SOME LIGHT PRECIP TO THE COAST OTHERWISE  
THE REST OF THE REGION WILL REMAIN DRY.  
 
ONSHORE FLOW PREVAILS MOVING THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK, LEADING  
TO NEAR NORMAL CONDITIONS. EXPECT PATCHY MORNING CLOUDS AND  
AFTERNOON SUNBREAKS. 33  
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM  
WILL SHIFT INLAND ON SATURDAY FOR A RETURN OF WET WEATHER. FOR  
NOW, THE INTERIOR LOOKS DRY IN THE MORNING WITH RAIN INCREASING  
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE COAST AND MOUNTAINS  
WILL SEE WETTING RAINS. WE REMAIN UNDER COOL, MOIST, ONSHORE FLOW  
ON SUNDAY WITH ADDITIONAL LIGHT SHOWERS EXPECTED. FOR MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY, A RIDGE BUILDS TO OUR SOUTH WITH ZONAL FLOW OVER WA.  
TEMPERATURES ARE TIPPED TOWARD CLIMO WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AS A  
WEAK SYSTEM MOVES INTO B.C. 33  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
FLOW ALOFT REMAINS SOUTHWESTERLY AS THE UPPER LEVEL  
RIDGE AXIS REMAINS OVER E WA/N ID. SURFACE FLOW CURRENTLY  
TRANSITIONING FROM OFFSHORE TO ONSHORE...WITH WESTERLY WINDS PRESENT  
OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA WHILE REMAINING OBS  
CONTINUE TO SHOW EITHER LIGHT AND VARIABLE OR EASTERLY TO  
SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS. MOST TERMINALS EXPECTED TO SEE SURFACE WINDS  
TURN SOUTHERLY THIS EVENING AND REMAIN THAT WAY THROUGHOUT THE TAF  
PERIOD.  
 
VFR CONDITIONS IN PLACE FOR ALL TERMINALS THIS EVENING WITH MARINE  
STRATUS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN IFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS AT HQM  
TONIGHT. MODELS SUGGESTING THAT PWT AND OLM COULD ALSO SEE DEGRADED  
CONDITIONS, SO WILL CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THOSE PROSPECTS FOR 06Z  
ISSUANCE. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE BEAR GULCH FIRE SAW ACTIVE  
CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...SO THE PROSPECT OF  
SMOKE ALOFT NEAR TO AND NORTH OF THE INCIDENT COULD IMPACT FLIGHTS  
PASSING THROUGH THE AREA. WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AGAIN  
WEDNESDAY, ALTHOUGH MARINE STRATUS MAY CLING TO THE COAST, LEAVING  
LOW-END MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS IN PLACE OVER HQM.  
 
KSEA...VFR CONDITIONS AT THE TERMINAL FOR THE TAF PERIOD WITH A LOW  
CHANCE /15%/ OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS IF MARINE STRATUS REACHES THE  
TERMINAL. EASTERLY WINDS STILL LINGER BUT SHOULD SWITCH TO MORE  
SOUTHERLY TONIGHT AND REMAIN THAT WAY INTO THE AFTERNOON BEFORE  
TURNING NORTHWESTERLY. SPEEDS GENERALLY 5-10 KTS, HOWEVER WILL RAMP  
UP TO 8=12 KTS WEDNESDAY EVENING.  
 
18/MAZURKIEWICZ  
 
 
   
MARINE  
A THERMALLY INDUCED TROUGH WILL MOVE INLAND TONIGHT,  
WITH A WEAK SYSTEM OFFSHORE NEARING THE COASTAL WATERS. THIS SYSTEM  
WILL CROSS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT, WITH ONSHORE FLOW RESUMING.  
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL RESIDE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WITH LOWER  
PRESSURE INLAND. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR  
WESTERLIES IN THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.  
SMALL CRAFT NORTHWESTERLIES WILL START OVER THE COASTAL WATERS LATE  
WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
COMBINES SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET THIS AFTERNOON WILL BUILD TO 8 TO 10  
FEET LATE WEDNESDAY CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY. SEAS WILL BE A BIT  
STEEPER WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 10 TO 11 SECONDS. SEAS WILL  
SUBSIDE BY LATE FRIDAY.  
 
MAZURKIEWICZ/18  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS CONTINUE WITH  
HOT, DRY AND WINDY THRESHOLDS ACROSS WESTERN WA. A RED FLAG  
WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS EVENING.  
 
 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WA...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR BLACK HILLS  
AND SOUTHWEST INTERIOR LOWLANDS-NORTHEAST PUGET SOUND  
LOWLANDS GENERALLY BELOW 1500 FEET-SOUTHEAST PUGET SOUND  
LOWLANDS GENERALLY BELOW 1500 FEET-WEST SLOPES OF THE  
CENTRAL CASCADES GENERALLY ABOVE 1500 FEET-WEST SLOPES OF  
THE NORTH CASCADES GENERALLY ABOVE 1500 FEET.  
 
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT FOR FOOTHILLS AND  
VALLEYS OF CENTRAL KING COUNTY-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF  
PIERCE AND SOUTHERN KING COUNTIES-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF  
SNOHOMISH AND NORTHERN KING COUNTIES.  
 
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM WEDNESDAY TO 2 AM PDT THURSDAY  
FOR CENTRAL U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-EAST  
ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM WEDNESDAY TO 5 PM PDT THURSDAY  
FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND 10 TO  
60 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND OUT  
10 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT GRENVILLE  
10 TO 60 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT  
GRENVILLE OUT 10 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT GRENVILLE TO  
CAPE SHOALWATER 10 TO 60 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT  
GRENVILLE TO CAPE SHOALWATER OUT 10 NM.  
 
 
 
 
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