547  
FXUS66 KSEW 221621  
AFDSEW  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA  
921 AM PDT SAT AUG 22 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW OFF THE NORTHERN OREGON COAST  
THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AND MOVE NORTHEAST TODAY.  
THE LOW WILL BE OFF THE WASHINGTON COAST TONIGHT AND MOVE INLAND  
AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE  
BUILDING IN BEHIND TROUGH LATER SUNDAY WILL MOVE EAST MONDAY.  
WESTERN WASHINGTON ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE RIDGE TUESDAY. ANOTHER  
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ARRIVING WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY HANGING  
AROUND INTO FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
THE UPPER LOW IS SLOWLY  
APPROACHING THE WESTERN WASHINGTON COAST THIS MORNING.  
CONVECTION DEVELOPED EARLY THIS MORNING, AND CONTINUES ACROSS  
THE CASCADES, AND PRIMARILY NORTH OF KING COUNTY. WIDESPREAD  
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS BEEN OBSERVED OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS  
OVER THE CASCADES, WITH MINIMAL RAINFALL DUE TO FAST STORM  
MOTIONS. THERE MAY BE A BRIEF BREAK IN THE CONVECTION AROUND  
MIDDAY BEFORE SURFACE HEATING LEADS TO DESTABILIZATION AND  
ANOTHER ROUND OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION, PRIMARILY  
FOCUSED IN THE NORTH CASCADES. WILL ALSO NEED TO MONITOR THE  
LOW, BUT NON-ZERO, THREAT FOR SEVERE WIND GUSTS IN ANY STRONGER  
T-STORM THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE NORTHERN CASCADES. LIGHTNING  
MAY LEAD TO NEW FIRE STARTS AS WELL.  
 
THE LOW WEAKENS TO AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TONIGHT. TROUGH MOVING  
INLAND NEAR THE CANADIAN BORDER AFTER MIDNIGHT KEEPING AT LEAST  
A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS OVER MOST OF THE AREA. MARINE LAYER  
MOVING INLAND AGAIN APPROACHING THE PUGET SOUND BY 12Z SUNDAY.  
LOWS IN THE 50S.  
 
TROUGH MOVING OFF TO THE EAST WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING  
INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SHOWER ACTIVITY  
CONFINED TO THE NORTH CASCADES SUNDAY AFTERNOON. LOW LEVEL  
ONSHORE FLOW WITH THE MARINE LAYER RETURNING TO THE COAST IN THE  
AFTERNOON. HIGHS ONCE AGAIN IN THE MID 60S TO MID 70S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUING TO BUILD SUNDAY NIGHT BEFORE MOVING  
EAST MONDAY. ONSHORE FLOW WEAKENING BRINGING UP THE POSSIBILITY  
THAT THE MARINE LAYER DOES NOT GET EAST OF PUGET SOUND MONDAY  
MORNING. EVEN IF IT DOES IT WILL BE SHALLOW AND BE GONE BY MID  
TO LATE MORNING. MORE SUNSHINE AND WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT  
ADDING UP TO A WARMER DAY MONDAY. HIGHS IN THE 70S TO LOWER 80S.  
LOWS MONDAY MORNING IN THE 50S. JD/FELTON  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
EXTENDED MODELS IN  
GOOD AGREEMENT THIS MORNING. WESTERN WASHINGTON ON THE BACKSIDE  
OF THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY FOR ONE MORE  
WARM DAY. HIGHS IN THE 70S TO MID 80S.  
 
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING INTO THE AREA WEDNESDAY HANGING  
AROUND INTO FRIDAY. BEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS LATER WEDNESDAY  
INTO THURSDAY. MUCH COOLER WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 60S TO MID  
70S ALL THREE DAYS.  
 
THROUGH THE 21ST SEATTLE IS ONLY 0.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR  
THE MONTH OF AUGUST. THIS COOLER END TO THE MONTH WILL MAKE IT A  
CLOSE CALL IF AUGUST ENDS UP BEING ABOVE NORMAL FOR  
TEMPERATURES. JULY WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. THE LAST TIME JULY  
AND AUGUST HAD BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN SEATTLE WAS 2011.  
FELTON  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
FAST MOVING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
HAVE DEVELOPED THIS MORNING. EXPECTING THIS ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE  
INTO THE AFTERNOON AND THEN GRADUALLY SUBSIDE THIS EVENING INTO  
TONIGHT. ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT IMPACTS THE TERMINALS HAS THE  
POTENTIAL FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING, GUSTY/ERRATIC WINDS, HEAVY  
DOWNPOURS, AND REDUCED VISIBILITY. MVFR TO IFR CIGS THIS MORNING  
WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE BY THIS AFTERNOON TO VFR, WITH THE  
EXCEPTION OF THE COAST. ANOTHER ROUND OF LOW CIGS SUNDAY  
MORNING.  
 
KSEA...IFR CIGS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE THIS MORNING, WITH VFR  
EXPECTED BY THE AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY  
IMPACT THE TERMINAL THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE IS  
NOT HIGH ENOUGH AT THE MOMENT TO INCLUDE TSRA IN THE TAF.  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING,  
GUSTY/ERRATIC WINDS, HEAVY DOWNPOURS, AND REDUCED VISIBILITY.  
OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS, SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS 6-8 KT.  
 
29  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
A WEAK SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE COASTAL WATERS  
TODAY. THE LOW WILL DISSIPATE TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
REBUILD SUNDAY AND REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. A WEAK  
FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE WATERS MIDWEEK.  
 
WINDS PICKING UP LATER THIS MORNING BUT STAYING 20 KNOTS OR LESS  
INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. DIURNAL WESTERLIES IN THE STRAIT OF  
JUAN DE FUCA EACH EVENING FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS BUT AT THIS  
POINT PEAK WINDS LOOK TO BE AROUND 20 KNOTS.  
 
SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. FELTON  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE  
ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING. AS A RESULT, A RED FLAG  
WARNING REMAINS IN PLACE UNTIL THE EARLY EVENING. A BRIEF LULL  
IS POSSIBLE TOWARDS MIDDAY BUT RAP ANALYSIS IS PICKING UP ON  
1000-1500 J/KG OF SURFACE BASED CAPE IN THE CENTRAL TO NORTHERN  
CASCADES THIS AFTERNOON. AS AN UPPER-LOW OFFSHORE CONTINUES TO  
TRACK INLAND, DIFFLUENT SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL HELP TO FIRE  
OFF AN ADDITIONAL ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS - MAINLY  
OVER THE NORTH CASCADES. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING IN LATER  
SUNDAY. LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW PATTERN LATER SUNDAY THROUGH  
TUESDAY WILL RESULT IN GOOD RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERIES IN THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS EASING FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. ANOTHER UPPER  
LEVEL TROUGH ARRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK INCREASING THE  
CHANCES FOR CONVECTION. FELTON  
 
41/FELTON  
 

 
   
SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WA...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WEST SLOPES  
OF THE NORTH CASCADES GENERALLY ABOVE 1500 FEET.  
 
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 5 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR WEST SLOPES  
OF THE CENTRAL CASCADES GENERALLY ABOVE 1500 FEET.  
 
PZ...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
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