936  
FXUS66 KSEW 241709  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
909 AM PST SAT JAN 24 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OFFSHORE THROUGH TOMORROW  
WEAKENING SUNDAY NIGHT. WEAK SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE RIDGE  
REACHING THE AREA MONDAY. THE RIDGE WILL REBUILD AND MOVE INLAND  
MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. A SPLITTING SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE  
WEDNESDAY WITH A MORE CONSOLIDATED SYSTEM POSSIBLE LATE IN THE  
WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS  
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OFFSHORE. OUTSIDE OF SOME STRATUS COMING DOWN  
THE STRAIT OF GEORGIA INTO THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS SKIES ARE CLEAR  
ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES AT 3 AM/11Z WERE IN THE 20S AND  
LOWER 30S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINING IN PLACE OFFSHORE TODAY GIVING  
WESTERN WASHINGTON SUNNY SKIES. COULD SEE PATCHY FOG DEVELOP  
OVER THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. WHAT  
LITTLE DOES FORM WILL BE SHALLOW AND DISSIPATE IN THE MORNING.  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM FOR PORTIONS OF THE PUGET  
SOUND AREA WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT. HIGHS IN THE MID AND UPPER  
40S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINING IN PLACE OFFSHORE TONIGHT KEEPING  
SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON. RIDGE STARTING TO  
WEAKEN SUNDAY ALLOWING A FEW HIGH CLOUDS TO MOVE OVER THE AREA  
IN THE AFTERNOON. ANOTHER COOL MORNING WITH LOWS IN THE 20S.  
COLDEST LOCATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR COULD GET INTO THE  
UPPER TEENS. ANOTHER COLD WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE LIKELY FOR  
SUNDAY MORNING WITH PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND THE  
SOUTHERN HOOD CANAL ADDED TO THE ADVISORY AREA. HIGHS IN THE  
LOWER TO MID 40S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUING TO WEAKEN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY  
WITH A WEAK SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE RIDGE INTO WESTERN  
WASHINGTON MONDAY. INCREASING CLOUDS WILL BE THE MAIN STORY WITH  
THIS SYSTEM. CHANCE OF RAIN WEST OF PUGET SOUND MONDAY. CLOUD  
COVER WILL RESULT IN A LITTLE WARMER LOWS MONDAY MORNING, IN THE  
MID 20S TO LOWER 30S. HIGHS MONDAY IN THE MID 40S.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
EXTENDED MODELS IN  
GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REBUILDING AND MOVING  
INLAND MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. FLOW ALOFT OVER THE PACIFIC  
BECOMING MORE PROGRESSIVE. WITH THE RIDGE TO THE EAST THIS WILL  
OPEN THE DOOR TO ALLOW WEATHER SYSTEMS TO REACH THE AREA. THE  
FIRST ONE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WILL BE SPLITTING AND  
MOVING INTO THE BACKSIDE OF THE RIDGE SO WILL ONLY HAVE CHANCE  
POPS WEDNESDAY. MODEL SOLUTIONS START TO DIVERGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT  
WITH THE OPERATIONAL GFS INDICATING AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER MOVING  
INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA WITH WESTERN WASHINGTON ON THE FAR  
SOUTHERN END OF THE RIVER FOLLOWED BY A FRONT LATE FRIDAY. THE  
ECMWF DOESN'T HAVE THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SOLUTION BUT DOES HAVE  
A FRONT FRIDAY. GFS ENSEMBLES HAVE THE OPERATIONAL RUN AS A BIT  
OF AN OUTLIER AND ARE MUCH WEAKER WITH THE SYSTEM FRIDAY NIGHT  
VERSUS THE OPERATIONAL RUN. THE ECMWF ENSEMBLES HAVE A MAJORITY  
OF THE SOLUTIONS WET ON FRIDAY. WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FEW MORE  
RUNS OF THE CONSOLIDATED FLOW ALOFT OFFSHORE BEFORE INCREASING  
THE POPS ABOVE CHANCE IN THE LATTER PORTIONS OF THE EXTENDED.  
SNOW LEVELS WILL BE IN THE 4000 TO 5000 FOOT RANGE WHEN THE  
POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION ARRIVES SO AT LEAST STARTING OFF THIS  
WETTER PATTERN DOES NOT LOOK LIKE GOOD SNOW PRODUCTION IN THE  
MOUNTAINS.  
 
TUESDAY MORNING THE LAST MORNING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME  
AREAS GETTING BELOW FREEZING FOR LOWS WITH MID 30S TO LOWER 40S  
THE REST OF THE WAY. HIGHS A COUPLE OF DEGREES EITHER SIDE OF 50  
THROUGH THURSDAY THEN IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S FRIDAY. FELTON  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
A HIGH-AMPLITUDE RIDGE OFFSHORE IS MAINTAINING  
NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND. A SMALL AREA OF LIFR STRATUS IS SITTING RIGHT OVER OLM,  
THOUGH THIS SHOULD CONTINUE TO LIFT AND CLEAR IN THE NEXT FEW  
HOURS. ELSEWHERE, VFR CONDITIONS WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WILL  
CONTINUE ONCE AGAIN DURING THE DAY TODAY WITH INCREASING HIGH  
CLOUDS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER 30-50%  
PROBABILITY OF SEEING LOW STRATUS AND FOG, MAINLY AROUND THE  
SOUTH SOUND AND KITSAP PENINSULA. PROBABILITIES ARE LOWER FOR  
THE SEATTLE METRO. GENERALLY LIGHT AND VARIABLE SURFACE WINDS  
THIS MORNING, BECOMING LIGHT N/NE WINDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY  
MOSTLY AT 8 KT OR LESS.  
 
KSEA...VFR CONDITIONS WITH CLEAR SKIES. WINDS N/NE AROUND 4-8 KT  
CONTINUING THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY. THERE IS A 20-25% OF IFR  
STRATUS BETWEEN AROUND 15-19Z SUNDAY, BUT GIVEN THE LIMITED EXPANSE  
TODAY, THIS WILL REMAIN A LOW-PROBABILITY SCENARIO.  
 
15/62  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
BROAD HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WILL  
REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH GENERALLY CALM WINDS.  
THE NEXT PERIOD OF IMPACTFUL MARINE WEATHER DOESN'T LOOK TO  
ARRIVE UNTIL MONDAY, AS A WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES THE  
WEST COAST AND BRINGS BACK INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS. A  
STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE WATERS MID-WEEK,  
BRINGING A PERIOD OF BREEZY SOUTHERLIES ACROSS THE COASTAL  
WATERS.  
 
SEAS 3 TO 5 FT WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND, INCREASING TO THE 8-12 FT  
RANGE WEDNESDAY AND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK AS SYSTEMS  
MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA.  
 
15  
 

 
   
HYDROLOGY
 
NO RIVER FLOODING IN THE NEXT 7 DAYS.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab WA Page Main Text Page