826  
FXUS66 KSEW 031135  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
335 AM PST WED DEC 3 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
WARM FRONT MOVING OVER UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OFFSHORE BRUSHING THE  
NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE AREA LATER TODAY. TRAILING COLD FRONT  
ARRIVING THURSDAY. OFFSHORE RIDGE WEAKENING THURSDAY NIGHT INTO  
FRIDAY. A SERIES OF STRONGER AND WETTER WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL  
MOVE THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON BEGINNING FRIDAY WITH AN  
ATMOSPHERIC RIVER EVENT LIKELY NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUDY SKIES OVER THE AREA EARLY THIS  
MORNING. FOR THE MOST PART THE CLOUD COVER HAS PREVENTED FOG  
FROM FORMING WITH JUST PATCHY FOG ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES  
AT 3 AM/11Z WERE IN THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINING IN PLACE OFFSHORE TODAY. WARM FRONT  
RIDING OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE WILL BRUSH THE NORTHWEST CORNER  
LATER THIS MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON. RIDGE AXIS TOO FAR  
OFFSHORE TO PROVIDE ENOUGH SUBSIDENCE TO GET RID OF THE LOW  
LEVEL MOISTURE. LIGHT FLOW IN THE LOWER LEVELS PLUS MIDDLE AND  
HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS MOVING OVERHEAD LATER TODAY WILL ALSO  
CONTRIBUTE TO THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINING INTACT. UNDER  
CLOUDY SKIES THERE WILL BE LITTLE IN THE WAY OF DAYTIME HEATING  
WITH HIGHS ONLY A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN THE CURRENT  
TEMPERATURES, MOSTLY IN THE MID 40S.  
 
TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVING DOWN THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST  
TONIGHT WITH THE FRONT OVER THE NORTHERN TOP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND  
BY 12Z THURSDAY. CLOUDY SKIES CONTINUING WITH RAIN OVER THE  
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT AND A CHANCE OF RAIN  
OVER THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS. LOWS A COUPLE OF DEGREES EITHER  
SIDE OF 40.  
 
FRONT MOVING INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON THURSDAY MAKING FOR A  
RAINY DAY. SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT FAIRLY WEAK SO  
NOT FORECASTING ANY IMPACTFUL WINDS. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S TO  
LOWER 50S.  
 
FRONT DROPPING SOUTH INTO WESTERN OREGON THURSDAY NIGHT. RAIN  
WITH THE FRONT COMING TO AN END BY MIDNIGHT BUT WITH THE  
SATURATED LOWER LEVELS SOME VERY LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE COULD  
CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY  
DROP A COUPLE OF DEGREES OVERNIGHT INTO THE LOWER TO MID 40S.  
 
CHANGES IN THE PATTERN FRIDAY WITH THE OFFSHORE UPPER LEVEL  
RIDGE WEAKENING. FLOW ALOFT BECOMING WESTERLY. WITH NO UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE TO FIGHT THROUGH OFFSHORE THE SYSTEM ON FRIDAY WILL  
BE THE STRONGEST ONE OF THE SHORT TERM. SYSTEM STILL LOOKING  
PROGRESSIVE AND FORECASTED PRECIPITATION VALUES HAVE TRENDED  
SLIGHTLY LOWER IN THE LAST MODEL RUN. SNOW LEVELS RISING BUT  
END UP NOT OVERLY HIGH, 5000 FEET IN THE NORTH TO 6500 FEET IN  
THE SOUTH. THIS WILL KEEP SOME OF THE WATER IN THE MOUNTAINS IN  
THE FORM OF SNOW AND HELP REDUCE THE FLOOD THREAT. WINDS PICKING  
UP IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA BUT NO  
ADVISORIES LOOK NECESSARY AT THIS POINT. HIGH TEMPERATURES  
WARMING INTO THE LOWER TO MID 50S.  
 
WHILE THE SURFACE PRESSURES DO NOT DROP VERY LOW WITH THE  
SYSTEMS IN THE SHORT TERM THE VERY HIGH TIDE CYCLE WILL CREATE  
THE THREAT OF COASTAL FLOODING BEGINNING THURSDAY ON THE COAST  
AND FRIDAY OVER THE INLAND WATERS. THE THREAT WILL CONTINUE INTO  
THE WEEKEND. FELTON  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE FRONT MOVING OUT OF THE AREA  
FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. ENSEMBLES HINTING AT A VERY  
SHORT PAUSE IN THE ACTION SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WARM FRONT ARRIVES  
SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE TRAILING COLD FRONT SUNDAY. ABOUT A  
THIRD OF THE ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS LAST NIGHT INDICATED AN UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE AREA HAD A CHANCE OF DEFLECTING  
THE NEXT SYSTEM NORTH INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA MONDAY. VERY FEW OF  
THE ENSEMBLES HAVE THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE THIS MORNING. SYSTEM  
FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY HAS A LONG FETCH OF MOISTURE EXTENDING  
WAY BACK TO 30N/170W. THERE IS A LOT OF VARIANCE IN THE  
ENSEMBLES ON THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS. MORE DETAILS IN THE HYDROLOGY  
DISCUSSION. FOR THE PUBLIC FORECAST RAIN, BREEZY AND MILD BOTH  
DAYS. TEMPERATURES MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY IN THE UPPER 40S TO  
MID 50S. SNOW LEVELS STARTING OUT IN THE 4500 TO 5000 FOOT RANGE  
MONDAY RISING TO 5000 TO 6500 FEET BY TUESDAY. FELTON  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
WIDESPREAD VFR, THOUGH WHERE THERE HAS BEEN BREAKS IN THE  
MIDLEVEL CLOUDS SO FAR(KBLI AND KPAE), MVFR AND IFR CIGS HAVE  
MATERIALIZED. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY  
WITH A WARM FRONT APPROACHING THE AREA LATE IN THE PERIOD. AN  
OVERALL TREND OF DETERIORATING CEILINGS IS EXPECTED TOWARD  
DAYBREAK WITH WIDESPREAD LOW MVFR OR IFR ACROSS THE REGION BY  
AROUND 12Z. SOME MINOR IMPROVEMENT TO LOW END VFR IS POSSIBLE  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE INTERIOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, BUT IS  
LIKELY TO BE BRIEF IF IT DOES MATERIALIZE. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO  
BE LIGHT AND SOUTHEASTERLY THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
KSEA...A SOLID CLOUD DECK LINGERING AROUND 035 HAS SLOWED LOW CLOUD  
FORMATION. WILL LIKELY KEEP TAFS MORE ALONG THE LINES OF LOW END  
MVFR OR OCCASIONAL IFR THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE PERIOD. CEILINGS MAY  
LIFT TO VFR BRIEFLY AFTER 21Z WEDNESDAY, BUT CONFIDENCE IN THAT  
OUTCOME IS LOW. SURFACE WINDS LIGHT NORTHEASTERLY ARE EXPECTED TO  
BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT THEN EVENTUALLY LIGHT S/SE  
TOWARD MORNING. 27/21  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WATERS TODAY DISSIPATING  
TONIGHT. FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY. STRONGER FRONT  
ON FRIDAY. ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE WATERS OVER  
THE WEEKEND INTO THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS IN THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA FRIDAY  
INTO FRIDAY NIGHT WITH GALES POSSIBLE IN THE CENTRAL STRAIT  
FRIDAY NIGHT. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS LIKELY OVER THE INLAND  
WATERS FRIDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER ROUND OF AT LEAST ADVISORY LEVEL  
WINDS POSSIBLE THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
SEAS REMAINING BELOW 10 FEET THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH THE  
EXCEPTION OF FRIDAY NIGHT WHERE SEAS WILL BUILD TO 10 OR 11  
FEET. FELTON  
 

 
   
HYDROLOGY
 
 
THE SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS FORECAST TO REACH THE AREA WILL  
EVENTUALLY INCREASE THE THREAT OF RIVER FLOODING IN THE COMING  
DAYS. WEST NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH THE SYSTEM FRIDAY PUTS  
THE AREA OF GREATEST PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTH CENTRAL  
WASHINGTON CASCADES. SNOW LEVELS RISING OVER 6000 FEET.  
PRECIPITATION AMOUNT FORECASTS HAVE LOWERED IN THE LAST MODEL  
RUN FOR THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WITH THE PEAK VALUES NOW UNDER  
2 INCHES. THIS WILL EASE THE PRESSURE ON THE RIVERS FLOWING OUT  
OF THE AREA WITH CURRENT HYDROGRAPHS HAVING THE SNOQUALMIE,  
SKYKOMISH, SNOHOMISH AND TOLT RIVERS CRESTING IN ACTION STAGE AT  
BEST.  
 
AS THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES MORE WEST SOUTHWESTERLY THE FLOOD  
THREAT WILL SHIFT TO THE FLOOD PRONE SKOKOMISH RIVER LATER IN  
THE WEEKEND.  
 
STILL A WIDE VARIANCE IN THE POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS  
WITH THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. THE  
ECMWF IS WETTER AND LESS PROGRESSIVE THAN THE GFS MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY. MODELS ARE SLOWLY TRENDING WARMER WITH THE SNOW LEVELS.  
NOT GOOD FOR FLOODING CONCERNS. IT IS STILL WITHIN THE REALM OF  
POSSIBILITY THAT WE COULD HAVE A WIDESPREAD RIVER FLOODING  
EVENT ON OUR HANDS BEGINNING NEXT TUESDAY. WITH SO MUCH  
UNCERTAINTY ALL WE CAN SAY AT THIS POINT IS STAY TUNED.  
 
THE LANDSLIDE THREAT IS MINIMAL THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE SERIES  
OF SYSTEMS WILL EVENTUALLY TAKE ITS TOLL WITH THE LANDSLIDE  
THREAT INCREASING SLIGHTLY THIS WEEKEND AND RAPIDLY EARLY NEXT  
WEEK. FELTON  
 

 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WA...NONE.  
PZ...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
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