511  
FXUS66 KSEW 211028  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
328 AM PDT TUE JUL 21 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 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 FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK  
FOR A ROUND OF SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS HIGH CLOUDS OVER MOST OF THE AREA EARLY  
THIS MORNING WITH PATCHY LOW CLOUDS AND FOG ALONG THE COAST.  
HIGH CLOUDS KEEPING TEMPERATURES MILD OVERNIGHT WITH MOST PLACES  
IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S AT 3 AM/10Z.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST EXTENDING BACK  
OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW  
ALOFT SENDING HIGH CLOUDS THROUGH THE AREA AT TIMES. THERMALLY  
INDUCED SURFACE TROUGH ALONG THE COAST THIS MORNING WILL SHIFT  
INLAND THIS AFTERNOON, RETREAT BACK TO THE COAST TONIGHT THEN  
MOVE INLAND AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES ALOFT  
WARMING WITH THE 850 MB TEMPERATURES PEAKING IN THE PLUS 22C TO  
24C RANGE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ALL THIS ADDS UP TO A PAIR OF  
HOT DAYS FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON WITH NEAR RECORD BREAKING HIGH  
TEMPERATURES AND MAXIMUM LOW TEMPERATURES. HIGHS TODAY IN 80S TO  
MID 90S OVER THE INTERIOR WARMING A COUPLE OF DEGREES WEDNESDAY  
INTO THE MID 80S TO NEAR 100. HIGHS ON THE COAST IN THE MID 70S  
TO MID 80S BOTH DAYS. LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S INLAND AND  
MID 50S ALONG THE COAST.  
 
A HEAT ADVISORY WILL GO INTO EFFECT THIS MORNING AT 10 AM/17Z  
AND REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL AT LEAST 11 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING.  
 
IN ADDITION TO THE HEAT, NORTHERLY FLOW AT TIMES WILL PULL  
WILDFIRE SMOKE FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA INTO WHATCOM AND SKAGIT  
COUNTIES. AN AIR QUALITY ALERT HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE NORTHWEST  
CLEAN AIR AGENCY. WEAK EASTERLY FLOW TODAY WILL ALSO BRING  
WILDFIRE SMOKE FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON WEST OF THE CREST. WHILE  
INCOMING WILDFIRE SMOKE MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED DEGRADATIONS IN AIR  
QUALITY AT TIMES OVER THE MOUNTAINS, THE SMOKE IS NOT EXPECTED  
TO MIX DOWN INTO THE LOWER LEVELS AND IS FAVORED TO STAY EAST OF  
THE SEATTLE METRO.  
 
CHANGES IN THE PATTERN WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH  
REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM ELIDA MOVING THROUGH THURSDAY  
MORNING CREATING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. IN ADDITION TO THE  
POSSIBLE SHOWERS LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNING ONSHORE PRODUCING MUCH  
COOLER HIGH TEMPERATURES. AFTER LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S  
AGAIN THURSDAY MORNING FOR THE INTERIOR HIGHS COOLING TO THE  
70S AND LOWER 80S. FOR THE COAST, LOWS IN THE MID 50S AND HIGHS  
IN THE MID 60S.  
 
THE RETURN OF LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW WILL GET RID OF ANY SMOKE  
CONCERNS IN THE LOWER LEVELS. FELTON  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW THAT IS WHAT WILL BE LEFT OF ELIDA  
REMAINING OFFSHORE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT WITH LOW  
LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW. UPPER LEVEL LOW WEAKENING INTO AN UPPER  
LEVEL TROUGH AND MOVING THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON SATURDAY.  
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AS THE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.  
WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROFINESS WITH LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW  
CONTINUING SUNDAY AND MONDAY. SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES THROUGH  
THE PERIOD WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S ON THE COAST AND 70S INLAND.  
LOWS IN THE 50S. FELTON  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL LEAD TO DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS ACROSS  
WESTERN WA TODAY. LOW CLOUDS MAY CLIP THE COAST EARLY THIS  
MORNING OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH HIGH CLOUDS  
ALOFT. WILDFIRE SMOKE ALOFT ACROSS NORTHWEST WA MAY LIMIT BOTH  
HORIZONTAL AND SLANT-RANGE VISIBILITY AT TIMES.  
 
KSEA...VFR TODAY WITH N WIND AROUND 5 KT.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE IS OFFSHORE WITH A THERMAL TROUGH ALONG  
THE WA COAST. OVERALL WINDS ARE GENERALLY LIGHT ACROSS WESTERN  
WA WITH SEAS UNDER 6 FT. THE THERMAL TROUGH WILL SHIFT INLAND  
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH STRONG ONSHORE PUSHES EXPECTED  
THROUGH THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA. 33  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS THE NEXT TWO DAYS WITH NEAR  
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY IN  
THE AFTERNOON HOURS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL FALL AS  
LOW AS 20% TO 30% BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, WITH DRIER  
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PUGET SOUND POTENTIALLY BOTTOMING  
OUT IN THE TEENS. THERE IS A VERY SLIGHT CHANCE OF  
THUNDERSTORMS COMING IN FROM THE SOUTH THURSDAY MORNING WHICH  
GIVEN THE WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS COULD CAUSE ADDITIONAL  
IGNITIONS FROM LIGHTNING. ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE LATER  
THURSDAY BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND BETTER OVERNIGHT RH  
RECOVERIES THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK  
EASING FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. FELTON  
 
 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WA...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL 9 AM PDT WEDNESDAY FOR CASCADES OF  
WHATCOM AND SKAGIT COUNTIES-FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF THE  
NORTH CASCADES-LOWLANDS OF WESTERN SKAGIT AND  
NORTHWESTERN SNOHOMISH COUNTIES-LOWLANDS OF WESTERN  
WHATCOM COUNTY.  
 
HEAT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING 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...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
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