217
FXUS66 KSEW 191807
AFDSEW
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1007 AM PST THU FEB 19 2026
UPDATE
SHOWERS CONTINUE THIS MORNING ACROSS THE PUGET SOUND REGION,
CHEHALIS RIVER VALLEY AND CASCADE FOOTHILLS/VALLEYS. SOME SNOW
HAS MIXED DOWN INTO LOWLAND AREAS BUT WITH NO REPORTS OF
SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION. SHOWERS ARE LIKELY TO PERSIST INTO THE
AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER-LOW SWINGS OUT OF BC AND SIDESWIPES THE
REGION. HI- RES GUIDANCE MAINLY PLACE THESE FEATURES OVER AREAS
OF TERRAIN SUCH AS THE CASCADES AND OLYMPICS/OLYMPIC FOOTHILLS
NEAR LAKE CUSHMAN WHERE SNOW WILL LIKELY BE THE DOMINANT
PRECIPITATION TYPE INTO THE EVENING. THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION IS
BELOW ALONG WITH AN UPDATED AVIATION SECTION:
SYNOPSIS
A TROUGH AND UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE INLAND TODAY
INTO FRIDAY, WITH RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS DIMINISHING THROUGH
TODAY. A BRIEF RIDGE WILL DRY THE REGION OUT LATER TODAY INTO
THE FIRST PART OF FRIDAY. A BLAST OF COLD AIR FROM THE FRASER
RIVER WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES CHILLY NEXT COUPLE OF MORNINGS,
WITH WIND CHILLS INTO THE LOW 20S AND TEENS IN MANY LOCATIONS.
ANOTHER LOW WILL DIG DOWN OFFSHORE FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA. THE
PATTERN WILL BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK,
WITH SEVERAL ROUNDS OF RAIN, MOUNTAIN SNOW, AND GUSTY WINDS.
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
A STACKED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WAS
LOCATED OVER THE BRITISH COLUMBIA/WASHINGTON BORDER. THIS TROUGH
WILL SPIN AN ADDITIONAL SHORTWAVE OVER THE REGION THIS MORNING,
WHICH WILL INTERACT WITH THE STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE CENTRAL
PART OF THE STATE. THE RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS IN SNOHOMISH COUNTY
HAVE DIMINISHED, AND REMNANTS OF THE COMPLEX FROM EARLIER ARE
MOVING WESTWARD OVER NORTH CLALLAM COUNTY THIS MORNING. THE
FOCUS TURNS TOWARDS THE SOUTH INTERIOR/SOUTH PUGET SOUND WHERE
ADDITIONAL BANDS OF SHOWERS ARE MOVING NORTH. THE TEMPERATURES
REMAIN A FEW DEGREES ABOVE FREEZING IN THE CHEHALIS VALLEY/I-5
CORRIDOR (AND THIS HAS KEPT THE PRECIPITATION AS RAIN). TO THE
WEST IN THE BLACK HILLS, IT IS CLOSER TO FREEZING AND WSDOT
CAMERAS INDICATE SNOW ON THE SIDES OF THE ROADS ON SR-8. TO THE
NORTH, NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE PICKED UP, BRINGING COOLER FRASER
RIVER AIR INTO THE NORTH INTERIOR (DOWN TO AS FAR AS CLALLAM
COUNTY). THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY CONTINUES THROUGH LATE THIS
MORNING FOR WEST WHATCOM, SAN JUAN, NORTH CLALLAM, AND ALSO WEST
CENTRAL SNOHOMISH COUNTIES FOR WIND CHILLS IN THE LOW 20S TO
TEENS THIS MORNING.
THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES DECREASE SUBSTANTIALLY GOING INTO THE
AFTERNOON AS THE TROUGH MOVES EAST. THIS WILL BE REPLACED WITH A
BRIEF RIDGE THAT PASSES OVERHEAD LATE TONIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING.
SOME CLOUD-FREE BLUE SKY IS POSSIBLE LATER IN THE DAY
(ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH INTERIOR AND COAST) - ALTHOUGH HIGHS
WILL LIKELY STRUGGLE TO REACH 40 FOR MANY TODAY. THE CLEAR
SKIES HOWEVER WILL RESULT IN COOL TEMPERATURES TONIGHT AS THE
FRASER AIR IS REINFORCED BY NORTH FLOW BEHIND THE TROUGH (THOUGH
THE OUTFLOW WILL WEAKEN TONIGHT). WIND CHILLS/APPARENT
TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO BECOME BRISK AGAIN IN THE MID 20S,
AND MAY SPREAD TO OTHER PARTS OF THE INTERIOR.
FRIDAY WILL SEE A MARGINAL WARM UP (HIGHS RETURNING INTO THE LOW
TO MID 40S). THE ATTENTION TURNS TO THE NEXT LOW DROPPING DOWN
INTO THE REGION FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA. PRECIPITATION CHANCES
WILL INCREASE FOR THE PACIFIC COAST AND MOUNTAINS LATE FRIDAY
INTO SATURDAY. AS WARMER AIR IS BROUGHT IN SATURDAY (HIGHS
CLOSER TO 50S), LOWLANDS WILL ONLY BE EXPECTED TO SEE RAIN WITH
ANY SHOWERS, WHILE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE SNOW ABOVE 2,000 FT FOR
THE CASCADES, AND 3,000 FT IN THE OLYMPICS. PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT FOR THE DAY SATURDAY. BREEZY OFFSHORE
WINDS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY, PRIMARILY IN THE CASCADES AND THE
PACIFIC COAST. MOST LIKELY GUSTS WILL PEAK AROUND 25 TO 35 MPH.
LASTLY, SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OFFSHORE, WITH THE
POTENTIAL FOR HIGH SURF CONDITIONS FOR BEACHES ALONG THE PACIFIC
COAST SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
MOST ENSEMBLES KEEP THE LOW OFFSHORE THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT
WEEK, WITH MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF PRECIPITATION CONTINUING THE
REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. HIGHS WILL REMAIN IN
THE LOW TO MID 50S THROUGH THIS PART OF THE FORECAST. THE
MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL INCREASE ON MONDAY
AND WEDNESDAY. HYDROLOGIC FLOODING IMPACTS ARE NOT EXPECTED, BUT
THERE REMAINS POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM.
THERE IS LOWER CONFIDENCE IN HEAVIER SNOWFALL RATES, AS WELL AS
SNOW LEVELS WITH THE WARMER AIR IN PLACE, BUT LARGE-SCALE
IMPACTS ARE NOT EXPECTED WITH THE SNOW BEING SPREAD ACROSS
SEVERAL DAYS (WEDNESDAY IS THE ONLY DAY WHERE THE SNOW MAY BE
HEAVY ENOUGH TO PRODUCE POSSIBLE TRAVEL IMPACTS).
HPR
AVIATION
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE NORTHWESTERLY
TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO SINK SOUTHWARD AND
THEN PUSH INLAND SOUTH OF THE AREA. SOME SHOWERS WILL ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA, TAPERING QUICKLY THROUGH THE MORNING.
SOME ADDITIONAL SHOWERS MAY WRAP AROUND THE LOW AND BRING
ISOLATED RAIN OR RAIN/SNOW AGAIN LATE IN THE DAY (AGAIN MOSTLY
SOUTH OF KSEA/KBFI). THIS WILL MAINTAIN MVFR CONDITIONS ACROSS
THE SOUTH AND VFR CONDITIONS ELSEWHERE. BREEZY FRASER OUTFLOW
WINDS CONTINUE TO IMPACT KBLI THIS MORNING, BUT WEAKEN STARTING
18-20Z. LOWER CEILINGS AGAIN DEVELOP ACROSS THE SOUTH OVERNIGHT,
BUT NORTHERLY FLOW WILL AID IN DRYING AND COULD KEEP CEILINGS
CLOSER TO 3000 FT OR HIGHER OVERNIGHT.
KSEA...VFR CONDITIONS WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY SHIFTING SOUTH. WILL SEE
GRADUALLY DECREASING CLOUDS. SURFACE WINDS NORTHERLY AT AROUND 10 KT
THROUGH THE DAY, VEERING TO SOUTHEAST AND EASING THIS EVENING
THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS BRINGS THE LIKELIHOOD OF MVFR STRATUS
RETURN AGAIN AFTER 12Z FRIDAY.
MARINE
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF THE COASTAL WATERS
WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE AREA THIS MORNING. MEANWHILE,
STRENGTHENING HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE INTERIOR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
OVERNIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE BREEZY FRASER OUTFLOW ACROSS
THE NORTHERN INLAND WATERS AND EASTERN STRAIT AND EASTERLY FLOW
THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN STRAIT THIS MORNING. FRASER
OUTFLOW WILL EASE LATE THIS MORNING AS THE HIGH OVER BRITISH
COLUMBIA WEAKENS, ALLOWING FOR WINDS TO EASE BELOW SMALL CRAFT
CRITERIA. SEAS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 5-8
FT.
LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW WILL THEN CONTINUE INTO EARLY FRIDAY WITH A
BROAD SURFACE TROUGH OVER THE COASTAL WATERS. A STRONGER SYSTEM
WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA WATERS OVER THE WEEKEND, INCREASING
OFFSHORE FLOW AND LIKELY BRINGING SOUTHEASTERLY GALES TO THE
COASTAL WATERS. SEAS LOOK TO BUILD TO 14-18 FT, THOUGH LATEST
PROBABILISTIC GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THERE IS ROUGHLY A 40-50
PERCENT CHANCE OF COASTAL SEAS BUILDING TO GREATER THAN 18 FT.
THE PATTERN LOOKS TO REMAIN ACTIVE HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK, WITH
ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA WATERS LIKELY BRINGING
ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF HEADLINES.
14
HYDROLOGY
NO RIVER FLOODING IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS.
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR LOWLANDS OF
WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY-SAN JUAN COUNTY.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING FOR CENTRAL
U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-EAST ENTRANCE U.S.
WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-NORTHERN INLAND WATERS
INCLUDING THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS-WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS
STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA.
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