Drying out this weekend after all that rain & mountain snow! Rivers will recede, but all passes remain closed

Seattle - What a week!  What a month! The PNW just slammed with extreme weather, but a much-needed break from the elements is coming our way this weekend.  

Check out our futurecast models for Saturday and Sunday!  It's looking mainly dry except for a few sprinkles popping up along the coast and north Sound.  Some Island areas along with Birch Bay and Western Whatcom County could wake up to a rain/snow mix briefly before clearing out for the weekend. 

Sunday looks even better!  Highs land in the low to mid 40s, close to average! 

Friday, we landed one degree above average.  The normal high for this time of year is 47 with 38 as the low.  We only recorded .38" in the bucket at SeaTac today after tallying up a record 2.00" Thursday as rain, wind and heavy mountain snow slammed the region. 

Now it's time for the cleanup with dry conditions heading our way this weekend. 

Even though area rivers will crest late Friday night into the overnight hours of Saturday before receding we're still under alerts for flooding.  

A "Flood Warning" is still up for many rivers in the south and southwest Sound.  Although most are starting to subside there are still a few that have not reached peak levels yet but will soon.  The Newaukum River near Chehalis is already receding after cresting very early this morning at 205.59'.  The Chehalis River fear Grand Mound should crest at 4am Saturday at 154.4'.  And the Skookumchuck River at Centralia has crested and will start receding overnight.  

Many residents who were evacuated hope to return to their soaked homes this weekend to access the damage and figure out where to go from there.  

We're also keeping an eye on King County as overflow from streams and creeks spread over streets Thursday and Friday with several areas needing to sandbag to keep water out of homes and businesses.   A "Flood Watch" will remain in effect through Saturday afternoon. 

Now to the mountains…. All passes remain CLOSED! 

Avalanche danger is still a major threat.  So far, the Cascades have seen over three dozen natural triggered slides.  This is exactly why crews will need an extra amount of time to access the stability of the snow over the Cascades.  An "Avalanche Warning" will fall off tonight allowing officials to get up to the high country to get a better grasp on reopening the passes by Sunday.  

We expect another half a foot of snow to fall over Stevens and Snoqualmie through Saturday night.  This adding to the massive amount of snow that has already fallen!  The last time we saw pass closures for an extended amount of time was back in 2007 and before that in 1996 when the mountains were shut down for three plus days as well.  

If you're wondering about more lowland snow the extended forecast has high temperatures too warm to see more snow.  We're looking at a couple of cool starts Sunday and Monday with temps near freezing.   The 10-day run shows showers and sunbreaks Tuesday through Friday with highs hang in the upper 40s to near 50 next week.  Enjoy!  

Have a great weekend all!  ~Erin Mayovsky, FOX 13 Forecaster