124  
FXUS66 KSEW 211000  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
300 AM PDT MON SEP 21 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WELL TO THE EAST WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH  
OFFSHORE TODAY. WEAK SYSTEM MOVING BY TO THE NORTH THIS  
AFTERNOON. CONVERGENCE ZONE POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL PUGET  
SOUND LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. NEXT SYSTEM SPINNING  
OUT OF THE TROUGH DISSIPATING AS IT REACHES THE AREA WEDNESDAY.  
STRONGER SYSTEM ARRIVING THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.  
FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON NEXT WEEKEND WITH  
A WARM FRONT DISSIPATING OFF THE COAST SUNDAY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY LOOKS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO EARLY SUNDAY  
MORNING WITH LOW CLOUDS AND FOG STARTING TO FORM OVER THE COAST  
AND MOST OF THE LOWLANDS. MANY LOCATIONS ARE ALREADY DOWN TO THE  
MID TO UPPER 40S AT 3 AM/10Z WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA IN  
THE LOWER TO MID 50S.  
 
LIKE SUNDAY MORNING GOOD SET UP FOR FOG AND LOW CLOUD  
DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. LIGHT FLOW IN THE  
LOWER LEVELS COMBINED WITH THE LONGER NIGHTS AND LOW LEVEL  
MOISTURE WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG. TOPS NEAR OR  
BELOW 1000 FEET WITH A LATE MORNING/MIDDAY BREAKOUT. WEAK SYSTEM  
MOVING BY TO THE NORTH SPREADING MIDDLE AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS  
OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON FOR PARTLY SUNNY/MOSTLY CLOUDY  
SKIES. HIGHS REMAINING A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL, IN THE 60S AND  
LOWER 70S.  
 
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT CONTINUING TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH AN  
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFFSHORE. INCREASING LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW  
WITH A POSSIBLE CONVERGENCE ZONE LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY  
MORNING OVER THE CENTRAL PUGET SOUND PRODUCING SOME DRIZZLE.  
THE INCREASE IN THE ONSHORE FLOW WILL LIMIT FOG COVERAGE LATE  
TONIGHT BUT WITH PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL STILL HAVE  
LOW CLOUDS DEVELOPING IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. LOW CLOUDS  
DISSIPATING MIDDAY TUESDAY WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES IN THE  
AFTERNOON. LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. HIGHS IN THE 60S.  
 
NEXT SYSTEM SPINNING OUT OF THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFFSHORE  
FALLING APART AS IT REACHES THE COAST EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
WHAT IS LEFT OF THE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST  
INTERIOR LATER IN THE MORNING FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. A  
COUPLE HUNDREDTHS ALONG THE NORTH COAST WILL BE THE BEST THIS  
SYSTEM CAN DO RAIN WISE. MIDDLE AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WITH THE  
SYSTEM WILL MAKE FOR A PARTLY SUNNY/MOSTLY CLOUDY DAY FOR THE  
INTERIOR. LOWS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. HIGHS IN THE 60S.  
FELTON  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A CONSOLIDATED FRONT REACHING THE  
AREA LATE THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING. RAIN OUT AHEAD OF  
THE FRONT SPREADING OVER THE AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO  
THURSDAY EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE A LITTLE JUICE WITH IT  
WITH A HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN ALONG THE COAST, OLYMPICS AND  
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CASCADES AND A QUARTER TO HALF INCH OVER  
THE INTERIOR. RIGHT NOW THE NORTH CASCADES LOOKS TO BE THE  
WETTEST LOCATION WITH ONE TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF WATER.  
SNOW LEVELS LOWERING TO 6000 TO 6500 FEET GIVING THE HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS A FEW INCHES OF SNOW. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BEHIND THE  
FRONT SHOWING SIGNS OF DIGGING SOUTH AND BECOMING SLIGHTLY  
NEGATIVELY TILTED FRIDAY MORNING WHICH COULD STALL THE SYSTEM  
OVER THE AREA INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING  
THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. COOL DAYS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH HIGHS  
ONLY IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. LOWS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S.  
 
MODELS CONTINUE TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT OVER THE WEEKEND WITH A  
FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE AREA. WARM FRONT DISSIPATES  
BEFORE IT REACHES THE COAST SUNDAY. POST FRONTAL ONSHORE FLOW  
AND THE LACK OF MUCH RIDGE BUILDING WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES COOL.  
HIGHS REMAINING IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. MORNINGS WILL BE ON  
THE COOL SIDE AS WELL WITH THE COLDEST LOCATIONS DROPPING INTO  
THE UPPER 30S. LOWS IN THE 40S FOR MOST PLACES.  
 
JUST A NOTE THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX IS AT 5:05 PM TUESDAY THE  
22ND. FELTON  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT TO CALM WINDS WILL PROMOTE  
CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF LOW STRATUS AND FOG THIS MORNING. IT  
REMAINS MOST PROLIFIC ACROSS SOUTHWEST WA AND ALONG THE COAST, BUT  
WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE REST OF THE INTERIOR  
THIS MORNING THROUGH AROUND 15Z. COMPARED TO YESTERDAY, THE COVERAGE  
OF FOG APPEARS TO BE SLIGHTLY LESS. CLOUDS WILL THEN BEGIN TO LIFT  
AND SCATTER BETWEEN 17-20Z THIS MORNING FOR VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH  
MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD. ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE  
TONIGHT, ALLOWING FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF STRATUS TO BUILD LATE TONIGHT  
INTO EARLY TUESDAY, THROUGH PRIMARILY AROUND OR AFTER 12Z TUESDAY.  
THE HIGHEST PROBABILITIES WILL BE ALONG THE COAST AND THROUGH THE  
CENTRAL PUGET SOUND INTERIOR WITH CONVERGENCE FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE  
OF A DRY COLD FRONT LATE TONIGHT. MOSTLY CALM WINDS WILL BE WESTERLY  
8 KT OR LESS DURING THE DAY, EXCEPT UP TO 10-15 KT THROUGH THE  
STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA THIS EVENING.  
 
KSEA...VFR EARLY THIS MORNING WITH CLEAR SKIES. FOG WILL DEVELOP IN  
THE VALLEYS NEAR THE TERMINAL, THROUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOWER IN IT  
FORMING DIRECTLY OVER THE TERMINAL LATER THIS MORNING. MODEL  
PROBABILITIES ARE IN THE 10-20% RANGE FOR IFR OR LOWER BETWEEN 14-  
17Z. VFR CONDITIONS THEN PREVAIL WITH HIGH CLOUDS OVERHEAD. A DRY  
COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH TONIGHT, AND BEHIND IT, WEAK  
CONVERGENCE WILL ALLOW FOR MVFR CIGS TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT INTO  
TUESDAY MORNING, AFTER AROUND 10-13Z TUESDAY. LIGHT N WINDS 4 KT OR  
LESS WILL BECOME MORE W/NW 4-6 KT AFTER AROUND 18Z. WINDS BECOME  
LIGHT AGAIN TONIGHT.  
 
62  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL WEAKEN OVER THE COASTAL WATERS THIS MORNING.  
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL TRAVERSE THE AREA WATERS THIS AFTERNOON INTO  
EARLY TUESDAY, RESULTING IN INCREASED ONSHORE FLOW. WINDS WILL  
INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA AND WILL  
REACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THRESHOLDS THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. THE  
ADVISORY WAS EXTENDED SLIGHTLY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SOME  
LINGERING GUSTS INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.  
ANOTHER PUSH OF WESTERLIES THROUGH THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA IS  
FORECAST TUESDAY EVENING, BUT GUIDANCE REMAINS CONFIDENT IN THE  
STRONGEST WINDS REMAINING ON THE CANADIAN SIDE OF THE STRAIT.A  
WEAKENING FRONT THEN MOVES ACROSS THE WATERS ON WEDNESDAY, WITH THE  
POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY  
INTO FRIDAY.  
 
SEAS OF 3 TO 5 FEET WILL BUILD TO 7 TO 9 FEET TONIGHT AS A LONGER  
PERIOD NORTHWESTERLY SWELL ARRIVES TO THE COASTAL WATERS.  
ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE HAS BACKED OFF ON THE PROBABILITY FOR SEAS GREATER  
THAN 9 FT (15-25% OR LESS). SEAS THEN SUBSIDE TO 6 TO 8 FEET TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON AND REMAIN LIKE SO THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.  
 
62  
 

 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 AM PDT  
TUESDAY FOR CENTRAL U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  
EAST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA.  
 

 
 

 
 
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