269
FXUS66 KSEW 240332
AFDSEW
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
832 PM PDT MON MAR 23 2026
UPDATE
MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVERAGE CONTINUES TO STREAM INTO THE
AREA AHEAD OF THE NEXT DISTURBANCE. A DEVELOPING FRONTAL SYSTEM
WELL OFFSHORE IS STILL ON TRACK TO PUSH INTO THE REGION TOMORROW.
WIDESPREAD LOWLAND RAIN, GUSTY WINDS, AND HIGH ELEVATION
MOUNTAIN SNOW ARE FAVORED. UNTIL THEN, CONDITIONS ARE TO REMAIN
MOSTLY DRY THIS EVENING BUT RAIN WILL INCREASE ALONG THE COAST
AND OLYMPIC PENINSULA LATE TONIGHT AND OVER THE INTERIOR BY
EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE TO BOTTOM OUT IN THE
LOWER 40S. THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION REMAINS BELOW ALONG WITH AN
UPDATED AVIATION SECTION:
SYNOPSIS
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BRING DRY CONDITIONS
OVER THE REGION TODAY. A SYSTEM ENTERING ON TUESDAY WILL BRING
LOWLAND RAIN, HIGH ELEVATION MOUNTAIN SNOW, AND GUSTY WINDS OVER
THE AREA. UNSETTLED WEATHER CONTINUES ON WEDNESDAY WITH SHOWERS
LINGERING. CONDITIONS WILL DRY OUT AND WARM UP HEADING INTO THE
END OF THE WEEK.
SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
RECENT SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AN ABUNDANCE OF HIGH LEVEL
CLOUDS STREAMING INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON AHEAD OF A SYSTEM
OFFSHORE. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE THIS AFTERNOON WILL KEEP CONDITIONS
DRY AND CALM, WITH HIGH TEMPS IN THE MID 50S.
A MOIST FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL ENTER THE AREA TUESDAY MORNING,
BRINGING LOWLAND RAIN, HIGH ELEVATION MOUNTAIN SNOW, AND BREEZY
WINDS. THE MAIN THREAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE GUSTY SOUTH WINDS
SLATED TO ARRIVE TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THE AREAS THAT
WILL SEE THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS WILL BE AREAS PRIMARILY ALONG
THE COAST, ALONG WITH LOCATIONS IN THE NORTH INTERIOR (WHIDBEY
ISLAND, SAN JUANS, WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY). PROBABILITIES OF
GUSTS OVER 45 MPH PER THE HREF. A WIND ADVISORY HAS ALSO BEEN
ISSUED FOR THESE LOCATIONS. ELSEWHERE, WIDESPREAD BREEZY WINDS
CAN BE EXPECTED UP TO 40 MPH AT TIMES THROUGH THE INTERIOR.
SNOW LEVELS GENERALLY AROUND 3000 FEET EARLY TUESDAY WILL RISE
UPWARDS TO 6000 FEET IN THE CASCADES, LIMITING SNOW TO THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS. ONSHORE FLOW CONTINUES INTO WEDNESDAY WITH
POST FRONTAL SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO
2500 FEET WITH SOME ACCUMULATIONS IN THE PASSES. LATEST GUIDANCE
DEPICTS A CONVERGENCE ZONE DEVELOPING EARLY WEDNESDAY EVENING
THAT COULD LOCALLY ENHANCE SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE CASCADES,
ESPECIALLY AT STEVENS PASS. WITH THE AIR MASS BEING SLIGHTLY
UNSTABLE, AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO CAN BE POSSIBLE
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW.
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
CONDITIONS BEGIN TO DRY OUT THURSDAY WITH SOME LINGERING SHOWER
ACTIVITY IN THE MOUNTAINS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT INLAND
STARTING ON FRIDAY FOR SLIGHTLY WARMER CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF
THE AREA. HIGH TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEEKEND LOOK TO RANGE IN
THE UPPER 50S INTO LOWER 60S FOR MUCH OF THE INTERIOR. A TROUGH
WILL APPROACH ON MONDAY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND COOLER
TEMPERATURES.
MAZURKIEWICZ
AVIATION
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT INTO TUESDAY AHEAD OF AN INCOMING FRONTAL
SYSTEM. SURFACE WINDS REMAIN LIGHT /SPEEDS GENERALLY LESS THAN 5
KTS/ AND NORTHERLY THIS EVENING AND INTO EARLY TONIGHT. SOME
TERMINALS WILL SEE LIGHT AND VARIABLE CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT WHILE
OTHERS WILL START TO SEE WINDS SHIFT SOUTHERLY BETWEEN 10-12Z VERY
LATE TONIGHT/EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. SPEEDS WILL INCREASE SLIGHTLY IN
THE MORNING HOURS TO AROUND 4-8 KTS. LATE MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON TUESDAY SHOULD SEE THESE SOUTHERLIES RAMP UP CONSIDERABLY
FOR MOST TERMINALS. TERMINALS AROUND THE SOUND WILL SEE SPEEDS 10-15
KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO AROUND 25 KTS WHILE COASTAL AND NORTH
INTERIOR/ISLAND TERMINALS WILL SEE SUSTAINED SPEEDS UP TO 25 KTS AND
GUSTS UP TO 40 KTS. THESE HEIGHTENED WINDS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE AT
LEAST INTO TUESDAY EVENING.
VFR CONDITIONS AREA-WIDE THIS EVENING AND AT LEAST INTO TUESDAY
MORNING...ALTHOUGH CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.
AS PRECIP BEGINS TO ENTER INTO THE AREA LATE TUESDAY MORNING/EARLY
TUESDAY AFTERNOON ALONG WITH THE FRONT, WIDESPREAD MVFR CONDITIONS
WITH SOME VIS RESTRICTIONS ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE HOLD.
KSEA...VFR CONDITIONS WITH HIGH CLOUDS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT.
CEILINGS WILL LOWER, WITH A 30% CHANCE OF MVFR CONDITIONS BY 15Z AND
AN 80% CHANCE BY LATE MORNING. LIGHT NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL
BECOME SOUTHERLY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING 6-8KT THEN 10-12KT GUST 25KT
BY MIDDAY.
18/KC
MARINE
RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS WITH SEAS 7 TO 9 FT THIS EVENING. AN
APPROACHING SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA EARLY TUESDAY, WITH THE
SURFACE LOW TRACKING TOWARDS THE NORTHERN POINT OF VANCOUVER -
FOLLOWED BY THE COLD FRONT TUESDAY EVENING. WINDS WILL INCREASE
ACROSS AREA WATERS TUESDAY MORNING, PEAKING FIRST ACROSS THE COASTAL
WATERS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE, THEN
SUBSEQUENTLY THROUGH THE INTERIOR WATERS LATER TUESDAY EVENING. GALE
FORCE WINDS WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS, AS WELL AS
THROUGH THE PUGET SOUND, ADMIRALTY INLET, EAST ENTRANCE TO THE
STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA AND THE NORTHERN INTERIOR WATERS. SEAS WILL
RISE ON TUESDAY, PEAKING AROUND 15-18 FT. SEAS UP TO AND EXCEEDING
20 FT REMAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST OUTER WATERS. WINDS WILL
LIKELY REMAIN A BIT ELEVATED FOR MUCH OF WEDNESDAY AS STRONG ONSHORE
FLOW CONTINUES BEHIND THE SYSTEM. MORE BENIGN CONDITIONS THURSDAY
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE LOOKS TO REDEVELOP
ACROSS THE AREA. SEAS WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE BECOMING 6-8 FT THURSDAY
THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK.
HYDROLOGY
FLOWS ON THE CEDAR RIVER AT RENTON REMAIN HIGH,
JUST BELOW MINOR FLOOD STAGE DUE TO DAM OPERATIONS. SMALL RISES
ARE EXPECTED WITH TUESDAY'S WETTER SYSTEM HOWEVER ADDITIONAL
FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. 33/MAZURKIEWICZ
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR ISLAND COUNTY-
LOWLANDS OF WESTERN SKAGIT AND NORTHWESTERN SNOHOMISH
COUNTIES-LOWLANDS OF WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY-PORT TOWNSEND
AREA-SAN JUAN COUNTY.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 9 AM TUESDAY TO 3 PM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR
GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY COAST-NORTHERN WASHINGTON COAST.
PZ...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM TO 11 PM PDT TUESDAY 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-WEST ENTRANCE U.S.
WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA.
GALE WARNING FROM 8 AM TO 5 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR ADMIRALTY INLET-
EAST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-NORTHERN
INLAND WATERS INCLUDING THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS.
GALE WARNING FROM 8 AM TO 11 PM PDT TUESDAY FOR PUGET SOUND
AND HOOD CANAL.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page