334  
FXUS66 KSEW 211037  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
337 AM PDT WED OCT 21 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFFSHORE TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL MOVE INLAND  
THURSDAY WITH NOT MUCH MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH.  
TEMPORARY RIDGE OVER THE AREA FRIDAY. LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE  
WEEKEND FORECAST WITH A CHANCE OF A SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH  
WESTERN WASHINGTON. TRAILING UPPER LEVEL LOW COULD STILL BE  
AROUND MONDAY BEFORE AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS MONDAY NIGHT  
AND TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS FOG IN THE SNOQUALMIE AND SNOHOMISH  
RIVER VALLEYS WITH SOME LOW CLOUDS AND FOG NEAR THE WATER IN  
WHATCOM, SKAGIT AND SNOHOMISH COUNTY. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES OVER  
THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES AT 3 AM/10Z WERE IN THE  
MID 30S TO MID 40S.  
 
LOW LEVEL OFFSHORE FLOW THIS MORNING WILL NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH  
TO PREVENT A LITTLE MORE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS FROM FORMING NEAR  
THE PUGET SOUND IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THE LAYER WILL BE  
SHALLOW WITH SUNNY SKIES ACROSS THE AREA BY MID MORNING. THE  
OFFSHORE FLOW WILL ADD A COUPLE OF DEGREES TO THE HIGHS WITH  
MOST PLACES IN THE 60S. NOT EXPECTING ANY RECORDS BUT THIS TIME  
OF YEAR HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S CAN BE RECORDS. THE FORECAST HIGH  
OF 65 IN SEATTLE WOULD BE THE 10TH WARMEST OCTOBER 21ST IN 82  
YEARS OF RECORDS.  
 
LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNING LIGHT TONIGHT AND REMAINING LIGHT INTO  
THURSDAY. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFFSHORE REACHING THE COAST LATE  
THURSDAY INCREASING THE CLOUD COVER OVER THE AREA THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON BUT NOT PRODUCING ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY. LOWS TONIGHT IN  
THE MID 30S TO MID 40S. COOLER THURSDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE MID  
50S TO LOWER 60S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT PERHAPS GIVING  
THE CASCADES A SHOWER OR TWO. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES IN THE EVENING  
THINNING OUT A LITTLE OVERNIGHT. LOWS IN THE LOWER 30S TO LOWER  
40S.  
 
WEAK TEMPORARY UPPER LEVEL RIDGE MOVING THROUGH FRIDAY FOR  
ANOTHER DRY DAY. LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW IN THE LOWER LEVELS WITH  
MORNING LOW CLOUDS BECOMING AT LEAST PARTLY SUNNY IN THE  
AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S. FELTON  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENING AND MOVING EAST FRIDAY NIGHT.  
MODELS CONTINUING TO HAVE TROUBLE COMING TO A CONSISTENT  
SOLUTION FOR THE WEEKEND. THE ENSEMBLES FAVOR A WEAK SYSTEM  
MOVING THROUGH LATER SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY MORNING. ENSEMBLE  
MEAN POPS ARE SLOWLY GETTING LOWER IN THE LAST THREE RUNS WITH  
NOW JUST CHANCE POPS FOR EVERYWHERE BUT THE NORTH COAST. UPPER  
LEVEL LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT HANGING AROUND LATER SUNDAY  
INTO SUNDAY NIGHT KEEPING CHANCE/SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN THE  
FORECAST. THERE IS BETTER CONSENSUS WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE  
BUILDING MONDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT FOR A DRY TUESDAY. HIGHS IN THE  
50S THROUGH THE PERIOD. IF THE RIDGE DOES BUILD LATER MONDAY  
GOOD CHANCE WE SEE SOME LOWS IN THE 20S TUESDAY MORNING. FELTON  
 
AS WE HEAD INTO THE LAST THIRD OF OCTOBER HERE ARE SOME CURRENT  
OCTOBER RAINFALL TOTALS IN THE WEST. YOU DON'T SEE THIS VERY  
OFTEN. SEATTLE 0.08 INCHES, LOS ANGELES 0.23 INCHES, SAN DIEGO  
1.04 INCHES, PALM SPRINGS 1.17 INCHES, LAS VEGAS 1.19 INCHES,  
PHOENIX 0.42 INCHES. FELTON  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO SPIN OFF CA WITH DRY AND STABLE  
CONDITIONS ACROSS WESTERN WA. THE FLOW ALOFT REMAINS SOUTHWESTERLY.  
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS IN PLACE FOR ALL TERMINALS THIS EARLY  
MORNING EXCEPT FOR HQM, WHERE EASTERLY WINDS RANGING 5-10 KTS ARE  
EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE INTO AT LEAST LATE MORNING/EARLY  
AFTERNOON. WIDESPREAD NORTH TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS EXPECTED BY NOON  
TODAY ALTHOUGH SPEEDS EXPECTED TO GENERALLY REMAIN LESS THAN 5 OR 6  
KTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD. HQM MAY START THE AFTERNOON  
RANGING 4-8 KTS BUT WINDS THERE WILL ALSO EASE TO AROUND 5 KTS BY  
THIS EVENING.  
 
WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS IN PLACE OVER MUCH OF W WA THIS EARLY  
MORNING, HOWEVER STARTING TO SEE HINTS OF LOW STRATUS AND FOG FOR  
TERMINALS ALONG THE EASTERN SOUND VERY SIMILAR TO TUESDAY  
MORNING...SO EXPECT CONDITIONS TO DEGRADE THERE DOWN INTO IFR/LIFR  
BETWEEN 12-15Z AND PERSIST INTO THE 18-20Z TIME FRAME. VFR  
CONDITIONS RETURN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD.  
 
KSEA...VFR CONDITIONS AS OF 09Z, BUT A BRIEF PERIOD OF  
SHALLOW/PATCHY FOG IS POSSIBLE STARTING BETWEEN 12-15Z FOR LIFR  
CONDITIONS BEFORE VFR CONDITIONS RETURN AFTER 18Z. LIGHT AND  
VARIABLE WINDS THIS MORNING BEFORE BECOMING MORE NW THIS AFTERNOON  
WITH SPEEDS AROUND 5 KT. WINDS WILL SHIFT NORTHERLY THIS EVENING  
WHILE SPEEDS REMAIN THE SAME.  
 
18  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL LEAD TO GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS OVER THE  
WATERS AGAIN TODAY. ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE ON THURSDAY AS A COLD  
FRONT MOVES INLAND. SEAS WILL BUILD TO 10-15 FT THURSDAY NIGHT THEN  
GRADUALLY SUBSIDE UNDER 10 FT ON FRIDAY. SINCE BOTH WINDS AND WAVES  
WILL MEET SCA CRITERIA FOR THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY, WENT AHEAD  
AND ISSUED THE HEADLINE WITH GOOD LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE AS MODELS  
HAVE BEEN ADVERTISING THIS FOR SOME TIME. THE FLOW WILL TURN  
OFFSHORE THIS WEEKEND AS A THERMAL TROUGH FORMS ALONG THE COAST. LOW  
PRESSURE WILL WEAKEN OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS EARLY NEXT WEEK. 33/18  
 
 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THURSDAY TO 11 AM PDT FRIDAY  
FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND OUT  
10 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT GRENVILLE  
OUT 10 NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT GRENVILLE TO CAPE  
SHOALWATER OUT 10 NM.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM THURSDAY TO 5 PM PDT FRIDAY 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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