866  
FXUS66 KSEW 121650  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
950 AM PDT SUN APR 12 2026  
   
UPDATE  
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS LOW CLOUD DECK HANGING TOUGH OVER  
PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS MORNING. STRATUS ISN'T VERY DEEP WITH  
TOPS BELOW 2000 FEET. LOW LEVEL FLOW IS LIGHT WHICH WILL MAKE IT  
HARD TO GET RID OF THE CLOUD COVER. IN ADDITION TO THE LIGHT  
FLOW IN THE LOWER LEVELS HIGH CLOUDS MOVING THROUGH THIS  
MORNING WILL ALSO HINDER THE BREAKING UP OF THE LOW CLOUD DECK. CURRENT  
FORECASTS HAVE A LATE AFTERNOON BREAK OUT AND THAT LOOKS GOOD AT  
THIS POINT. WITH THE CLOUD COVER HANGING ON HIGHS A TOUCH WARM  
IN THE FORECAST WITH MID TO UPPER 50S INSTEAD OF LOWER 60S.  
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS WITH UPDATED AVIATION SECTION. FELTON  
 
 
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AND MONDAY FOR  
SHOWERS AND A CONVERGENCE ZONE. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL BRING  
ADDITIONAL LOWLAND RAIN, WINDY CONDITIONS PLUS POSSIBLE HEAVY  
MOUNTAIN SNOW ON TUESDAY. UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER WESTERN  
WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY FOR CONTINUED COOL CONDITIONS. DRYING  
NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT DEVELOPING THURSDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
A BRIEF BREAK IN THE WEATHER THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON  
AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW SHIFTS INLAND TO OUR SOUTH (OVER NORTHERN  
CA). SHOWERS WILL THEN INCREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING,  
PRIMARILY OVER THE INTERIOR AND CASCADES, AS LOW LEVEL ONSHORE  
FLOW INCREASES. ONSHORE FLOW CONTINUES INTO MONDAY WITH  
CONVERGENCE ZONE SHOWERS OVER KING/SNOHOMISH COUNTIES.  
 
COOL, WET AND WINDY CONDITIONS ARE AHEAD AS WE MOVE INTO TUESDAY  
WHILE A DEEP UPPER LOW DESCENDS SOUTH FROM B.C. SNOW LEVELS WILL  
LOWER TO AROUND 3000 FT WITH SNOW EXPECTED AT ALL CASCADE  
PASSES. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY FROM THE S/SW WITH GUSTS TO 25-35  
MPH (PEAKING IN THE INTERIOR DURING THE AFTERNOON). 33  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
WET AND COOL CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT AND  
WEDNESDAY AS A DEEP UPPER LOW SPINS OVER WA. SNOW LEVELS WILL  
LOWER FURTHER, DOWN TO AROUND 1500-2000 FT, WITH SNOW IN THE  
CASCADES AND PASSES. MEAN 48 HOUR SNOW TOTALS RANGE FROM 6 TO  
12" INCHES WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS ON THE VOLCANOES. EXPECT COOLER  
LOWLAND TEMPERATURES WITH LOWS IN THE 30S AND HIGHS IN THE 40S  
TO AROUND 50.  
 
DRIER WEATHER IS IN STORE THURSDAY INTO THE WEEKEND WITH HIGH  
PRESSURE. LOWS REMAIN CHILLY AND IN THE 30S WITH FREEZING  
TEMPERATURES AROUND THE SOUTH SOUND. EXPECT HIGHS IN THE 50S  
WITH LOWER 60S BY SATURDAY. 33  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
VARIABLE TO NORTHERLY WINDS ALOFT AS A WEAK TROUGH SETS UP OVER  
WESTERN WASHINGTON. FOG AND LOW CLOUDS HAVE BROUGHT IFR TO LIFR  
CIGS/VIS BUT CONDITIONS ARE BEGINNING TO GRADUALLY IMPROVE. VFR  
IS SLATED TO RETURN BY 20-22Z. WINDS WILL REMAIN NORTHERLY  
THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON BUT WILL KEEP SPEEDS GENERALLY 3 TO 6  
KNOTS. MVFR/IFR CIGS ARE LIKE TO REDEVELOP THIS EVENING FOR  
PUGET SOUND TERMINALS AS A CONVERGENCE ZONE DEVELOPS.  
 
KSEA...LIFR CONDITIONS HAVE LIFTED TO IFR SO FAR THIS MORNING AS FOG  
AND LOW CLOUDS DEVELOPED EARLIER AT THE TERMINAL. NORTHERLY WINDS  
GENERALLY AROUND 3 TO 6 KNOTS AND REMAINING THERE THROUGHOUT THE  
AFTERNOON. LATEST GUIDANCE SHOWS A 60-70% CHANCE OF CONDITIONS  
RETURNING TO VFR BY 18Z-20Z AS FOG/LOW CLOUDS START TO DISSIPATE.  
WINDS WILL START TO TURN MORE SW BY 20Z AND INCREASE SLIGHTLY TO 4  
TO 8 KNOTS. MVFR/IFR CIGS ARE TO RETURN THIS EVENING AS A  
CONVERGENCE ZONE DEVELOPS.  
 
MAZURKIEWICZ/MCMILLIAN  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CONTINUING TO MOVE SOUTHWARD AS A HIGH  
PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPS OFFSHORE IN THE NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC.  
GENERALLY CALM AND BENIGN NORTHERLY WINDS OVER THE WATERS THIS  
AFTERNOON. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR  
INCREASED WESTERLIES DOWN THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA LATE SUNDAY  
INTO MONDAY. A STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM ARRIVING LATE TUESDAY  
INTO WEDNESDAY WILL LIKELY YIELD ADDITIONAL HEADLINES AS WE WILL  
SEE INCREASED WINDS AND SEAS.  
 
COASTAL SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. SEAS WILL THEN  
START TO BUILD UPWARDS TO 8 TO 10 FEET BY TUESDAY EVENING AND  
REMAINING ELEVATED THROUGH THURSDAY.  
 
MAZURKIEWICZ  
 
 
   
HYDROLOGY  
 
NO RIVER FLOODING THE NEXT 7 DAYS.  
 
 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 AM PDT  
MONDAY FOR CENTRAL U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  
EAST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA.  
 
 
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab WA Page
Main Text Page