189  
FXUS66 KSEW 201018  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
318 AM PDT TUE OCT 20 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
UPPER LEVEL LOW REMAINING WELL SOUTH THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH  
ZONAL FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA. WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING  
THROUGH THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. WESTERN WASHINGTON IN  
BETWEEN SYSTEMS FRIDAY. LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY REMAINS IN THE WEEKEND  
FORECAST WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR A FRONT MOVING THROUGH LATER  
SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY MORNING. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING  
MONDAY.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF  
THE AREA WITH LOW CLOUDS AND FOG NEAR THE WATER IN WHATCOM,  
SKAGIT AND SNOHOMISH COUNTIES. CLEAR SKIES ELSEWHERE.  
TEMPERATURES AT 3 AM/10Z WERE IN THE MID 30S TO UPPER 40S.  
 
NOT MUCH GOING ON TODAY WEATHERWISE. LARGE UPPER LEVEL LOW WELL  
SOUTH AND LIGHT FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA. LIGHT NORTHERLY FLOW  
IN THE LOWER LEVELS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT FOG AND LOW  
CLOUDS FROM FORMING ESPECIALLY NEAR THE PUGET SOUND. THIS  
SCENARIO IS ALSO FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LAKE  
WASHINGTON STRATUS JUST AFTER SUNRISE. ALL OF THE LOW CLOUDS AND  
FOG WILL BE GONE BY LATE MORNING. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID  
60S.  
 
LITTLE CHANGE IN THE UPPER PATTERN TONIGHT. IN THE LOWER LEVELS  
FLOW GOING LIGHT OFFSHORE BUT NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT  
PATCHY FOG FORMING AGAIN IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. LOWS IN THE  
LOWER 30S TO LOWER 40S.  
 
SHALLOW LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DISSIPATING IN THE MORNING HOURS  
WEDNESDAY. THE LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW WILL ADD A COUPLE OF DEGREES  
TO THE HIGHS, MOSTLY IN THE 60S. WHILE NOT EXPECTING ANY RECORDS  
WE ARE GETTING TO THE TIME OF YEAR WHERE RECORD HIGHS CAN BE IN  
THE MID TO UPPER 60S.  
 
WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DEVELOPING OFFSHORE WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH  
THE TROUGH AXIS NEAR THE COAST BY 00Z FRIDAY. NOTHING IN THE WAY  
OF PRECIPITATION WITH THE APPROACH OF THE TROUGH, JUST AN  
INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER. LOWS IN THE MID 30S TO MID 40S. HIGHS  
MUCH COOLER, IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
EXTENDED MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT EARLY ON WITH THE UPPER LEVEL  
TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS  
ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. ZONAL FLOW ALOFT FRIDAY WITH  
NOTHING EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW.  
 
ONCE AGAIN CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN THE WEEKEND FORECAST WITH A WIDE  
VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS IN THE MODEL ENSEMBLES. THE SOLUTION WITH  
THE MOST MEMBERS IS A FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA SATURDAY  
NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING. THERE IS ANOTHER GROUP OF SOLUTIONS THAT  
HAS THE FRONT BRUSHING THE AREA DURING THE SAME TIME FRAME.  
THERE IS EVEN A FEW SOLUTIONS WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING  
OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON. THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT THAT SAID UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD/BE OVER THE AREA MONDAY. AT THIS POINT  
WILL GO WITH THE CHANCE OF RAIN SATURDAY, RAIN LIKELY/CHANCE OF  
RAIN SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING SCENARIO WITH A DRYING  
TREND MONDAY. HIGHS IN THE MID AND UPPER 50S. LOWS IN THE MID  
30S TO LOWER 40S. IF WE GET THE RIDGING SUNDAY NIGHT THERE IS A  
GOOD CHANCE MONDAY WILL BE THE COOLEST MORNING OF THE SEASON.  
FELTON  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT TURNING MORE SOUTHWESTERLY BY LATE THIS  
AFTERNOON/EARLY THIS EVENING AND INTO WEDNESDAY. AT THE SURFACE,  
MANY TERMINALS REPORTING LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WHILE SEA, PWT AND  
PAE FAVORING NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WITH SPEEDS 4-8 KTS. AS  
WINDS PICK UP IN SPEED SLIGHTLY LATE THIS MORNING TO 5-10 KTS, THE  
NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION WILL CONTINUE TO BE FAVORED IN  
GENERAL.  
 
WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS IN PLACE FOR MUCH OF W WA THIS EARLY  
MORNING, HOWEVER LOWER CIGS ALREADY PRESENT AT BLI AND PAE BRINGING  
ISOLATED IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS THERE. AS OF THIS WRITING, STARTING TO  
SEE SOME FOG DEVELOPMENT AT OLM AS WELL AND WOULD EXPECT AT LEAST  
IFR CONDITIONS TO EMERGE THERE BY 14Z THIS MORNING. UNIVERSAL VFR  
CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO RESUME BY LATE MORNING AND REMAIN THAT WAY  
FOR THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD. MODEL GUIDANCE IS HINTING AT  
ISOLATED LOW CIGS/FOG BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, BUT CONFIDENCE IS  
LOW REGARDING WHICH TERMINAL OR TERMINALS MAY SEE IT.  
 
KSEA...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD, ALTHOUGH LATEST  
GUIDANCE SUGGESTS PROSPECTS OF LOW CIGS/FOG NEAR 12Z WEDNESDAY. AS  
STATED ABOVE, CONFIDENCE IS LOW AT THIS TIME AND WILL WAIT TO SEE IF  
THIS SOLUTION PERSISTS IN FUTURE HI-RES RUNS. NE WINDS 4-8 KTS THIS  
MORNING SHIFTING MORE NW BY AFTERNOON. SPEEDS WILL REMAIN WITHIN  
THAT 4-8 KT RANGE FOR THE PERIOD, ALTHOUGH MAY LEAN TOWARD THE  
HIGHER END OF THAT RANGE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.  
 
18  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
NORTHERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL OVER THE WATERS WITH LOW PRESSURE  
SPINNING OFF NORTHERN CA. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL RESULT IN  
GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS THROUGH MID WEEK. ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE  
ON THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INLAND.  
 
SEAS GENERALLY 5 TO 7 FT TODAY BEFORE EASING SLIGHTLY TO 4 TO 6 FT  
WEDNESDAY. WAVE HEIGHTS RISE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WITH SWELLS  
REACHING 10-15 FEET. WINDS TURN OFFSHORE THIS WEEKEND AS DEEPER LOW  
PRESSURE SPINS OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS.  
 
33/18  
 
 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WA...NONE.  
PZ...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
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