755  
FXUS66 KSEW 201016  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
316 AM PDT MON JUL 20 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST EXTENDING BACK  
OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW  
ALOFT WITH HIGH CLOUDS MOVING THROUGH AT TIMES. IN THE LOWER  
LEVELS LIGHT FLOW WITH A THERMALLY INDUCED SURFACE TROUGH  
BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE COAST AND THE INTERIOR.  
PATTERN CHANGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH THE REMNANTS  
OF TROPICAL STORM ELIDA MOVING THROUGH PRODUCING A CHANCE OF  
SHOWERS. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON WITH LOW  
LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND FOR A ROUND OF  
SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS HIGH CLOUDS EMBEDDED IN THE  
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA THIS MORNING WITH LOW  
STRATUS ALONG THE COAST. MILD TEMPERATURES AT 3 AM WITH THE  
CLOUD COVER, MOSTLY IN THE MID 50S TO MID 60S.  
 
THE COMBINATION OF THE HIGH CLOUDS PLUS A LITTLE SMOKE ALOFT  
COULD PRODUCE A COLORFUL SUNRISE THIS MORNING IF THE CLOUD COVER  
IS NOT TOO THICK.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST EXTENDING BACK  
OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. 500 MB HEIGHTS IN THE  
MID TO UPPER 580 DMS. IN THE LOWER LEVELS THERMALLY INDUCED  
SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA TODAY. THE TROUGH WILL  
BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE COAST AND THE INTERIOR THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY RETREATING BACK TO THE COAST IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS  
AND MOVING INLAND DURING THE DAYTIME. MODEL 850 MB TEMPERATURES  
IN THE PLUS 16C TO PLUS 20C RANGE TODAY SLOWLY WARMING TO PLUS  
22C TO PLUS 24C WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WARMING TREND THE NEXT  
THREE DAYS OVER THE INTERIOR. HIGHS TODAY IN THE 80S, 80S TO  
LOWER 90S TUESDAY AND 80S TO MID 90S WEDNESDAY. ALONG THE COAST  
WITH THE THERMALLY INDUCED SURFACE TROUGH DRIFTING INLAND DURING  
THE DAY HIGHS IN THE MID 70S TO LOWER 80S TODAY AND TUESDAY. A  
LITTLE COOLER WEDNESDAY WITH THE THERMALLY INDUCED TROUGH  
INLAND, IN THE 70S.  
 
A HEAT ADVISORY HAS ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR TUESDAY MORNING  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. IN ADDITION TO THE VERY WARM DAYTIME  
TEMPERATURES WITH HIGH CLOUDS MOVING THROUGH AT TIMES MORNING  
LOWS WILL BE ELEVATED AS WELL, IN THE MID 50S TO MID 60S.  
PROBABLY WILL NOT SET ANY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES (  
SEATTLE RECORDS 66 TUESDAY AND 68 WEDNESDAY BOTH SET IN 2006 )  
BUT IT WILL BE CLOSE.  
 
WITH THE LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNING NORTHERLY AT TIMES THIS WILL  
PULL DOWN SOME WILDFIRE SMOKE FROM CANADA THE NEXT THREE DAYS.  
MOST OF THE SMOKE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A BIT ELEVATED KEEPING  
AIR QUALITY FROM DETERIORATING TOO MUCH. THE EXCEPTION TO THIS  
WILL BE NEAR THE CASCADE CREST IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN  
CASCADES WHERE OVERNIGHT EASTERLY WINDS COULD PULL IN THICKER  
SMOKE FROM THE FIRES ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES.  
 
HIGHS IN SEATTLE FORECASTED TO BE IN THE 90S BOTH TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST 90 DEGREE PLUS DAYS IN JULY  
THIS YEAR. THE LAST TIME SEATTLE DID NOT GET AT LEAST ONE 90  
DEGREE PLUS DAY IN JULY WAS 2017 ( THERE WERE 5 90 DEGREE PLUS  
DAYS IN AUGUST 2017 AND 2 MORE IN SEPTEMBER ). BEFORE THIS  
CURRENT STREAK OF 8 JULYS IN A ROW WITH AT LEAST ONE 90 DEGREE  
PLUS DAY THE LONGEST STREAK WAS ONLY 4 YEARS ( 1958-1961 AND  
1970-1973 ). FELTON  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
PATTERN CHANGE BEGINNING WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AS THE  
REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM ELIDA APPROACH THE AREA OFFSHORE.  
THURSDAY FORECAST HAS A LOT OF BUST POTENTIAL. ENSEMBLES STILL  
SHOWING A FEW MEMBERS WITH THE MOISTURE FROM ELIDA MOVING OVER  
WESTERN WASHINGTON THURSDAY PRODUCING SHOWERS. MORE ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS ARE IN THE CAMP THAT THIS WILL JUST BE SOME MIDDLE AND  
HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS. EITHER WAY THE LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNS ONSHORE  
RESULTING IN SOME COOLING. WILL GO WITH A BIT OF A COMBINATION  
OF THE SOLUTIONS DROPPING HIGH TEMPERATURES 5 TO 10 DEGREES  
THURSDAY ( WEAK MARINE PUSH SCENARIO ) WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF  
SHOWERS. BETTER CONSISTENCY IN THE SOLUTIONS FRIDAY INTO THE  
WEEKEND WITH UPPER LEVEL TROFINESS OVERHEAD AND LOW LEVEL  
ONSHORE FLOW. MORNING CLOUDS AND AFTERNOON SUNSHINE FOR THE  
INTERIOR FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. HIGHS NEAR NORMAL, IN THE 70S  
INTERIOR AND MID 60S COAST. FELTON  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON  
TODAY WITH STRONG UPPER RIDGING CENTERED OVER THE ROCKIES AND A  
WEAK UPPER TROUGH OFFSHORE. THE LOW LEVEL FLOW IS LIGHT  
NORTHERLY OR WEAKLY OFFSHORE. LIFR STRATUS ALONG THE IMMEDIATE  
COAST WILL BURN OFF BY THIS AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS UNDER  
VARYING AMOUNTS OF HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE  
REMAINDER OF THE REGION. INCREASING WILDFIRE SMOKE ACROSS  
NORTHWEST WA MAY BEGIN TO LIMIT BOTH HORIZONTAL AND SLANT-RANGE  
VISIBILITY BY THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
KSEA...VFR. SURFACE WINDS NORTHERLY 6 TO 10 KNOTS EASING TO LIGHT  
THIS EVENING.  
 
27  
 
 
   
MARINE  
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN CENTERED OFFSHORE WITH LOWER  
PRESSURE INLAND THROUGH THE WEEK. ONSHORE GRADIENTS WILL EASE  
THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK AS THERMALLY-INDUCED LOW PRESSURE  
DEVELOPS ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON. STRONGER ONSHORE FLOW  
AND PUSHES DOWN THE STRAIT LOOK TO RESUME IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE  
WEEK AS THE THERMAL TROUGH SHIFTS EASTWARD.  
 
27  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS THE NEXT THREE DAYS WITH THE VERY  
DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES IN  
THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE, WITH DRIER LOCATIONS IN THE SOUTH  
SOUND CAPABLE OF GETTING INTO THE UPPER TEENS. WHILE THERE IS  
STILL A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF  
THE COAST FROM WHAT WAS ONCE TROPICAL STORM ELIDA, CHANCES FOR  
THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE WEEK ARE LOW AT THIS POINT, BUT CANNOT  
BE FULLY RULED OUT. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP AFTER  
ANOTHER ROUND OF HOT AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS POSE A RISK OF  
ADDITIONAL IGNITIONS FROM LIGHTNING. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS EASE  
FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND WITH COOLER DAYS AND LOW LEVEL ONSHORE  
FLOW. FELTON  
 
 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WA...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM TUESDAY TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR  
CITY OF SEATTLE-DOWNTOWN EVERETT / MARYSVILLE AREA-  
EASTERN KITSAP COUNTY-EASTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  
EASTSIDE-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF CENTRAL KING COUNTY-  
FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF PIERCE AND SOUTHERN KING  
COUNTIES-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF SNOHOMISH AND NORTHERN  
KING COUNTIES-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF THURSTON AND LEWIS  
COUNTIES-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF THE NORTH CASCADES-  
FOOTHILLS OF THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN OLYMPIC PENINSULA-  
LAKE CRESCENT AREA INCLUDING US 101-LOWLANDS OF LEWIS AND  
SOUTHERN THURSTON COUNTIES-LOWLANDS OF PIERCE AND  
SOUTHERN KING COUNTIES-LOWLANDS OF WESTERN SKAGIT AND  
NORTHWESTERN SNOHOMISH COUNTIES-LOWLANDS OF WESTERN  
WHATCOM COUNTY-MIDDLE CHEHALIS RIVER VALLEY-NORTHERN HOOD  
CANAL-OLYMPIA AND SOUTHERN PUGET SOUND-PORT TOWNSEND AREA-  
SHORELINE / LYNNWOOD / SOUTH EVERETT AREA-SOUTHERN HOOD  
CANAL.  
 
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM PDT EARLY THIS MORNING FOR  
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND 10 TO  
60 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT GRENVILLE  
10 TO 60 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT GRENVILLE TO CAPE  
SHOALWATER 10 TO 60 NM.  
 
 
 
 
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