Seattle weather: Feeling like summer later this week

SEATTLE - The workweek looks mainly dry for Seattle, with warming temperatures by Thursday and Friday.

High clouds will begin moving into Western Washington tonight as an atmospheric river approaches British Columbia. Those clouds will help keep temperatures a little milder on Tuesday morning, with lows mainly in the mid 30s to mid 40s.

Chilly start to the week slowly warms up

Big picture view:

Expect a mix of clouds and sun Tuesday, with a few showers possible along the north coast and across the Northwest Interior. Most of the region should stay dry, but the thicker cloud cover will keep temperatures a bit cooler in the north. Highs will range from the mid-50s to mid-60s.

The atmospheric river will gradually weaken as we head into Wednesday. There could still be a few isolated morning showers along the coast and north of Seattle, but widespread rain isn't expected. Skies will remain mostly cloudy, with afternoon highs in the low to mid-60s.

Summer-like temperatures late this week

By the numbers:

High pressure will rebuild over Western Washington Wednesday night and Thursday, bringing a nice warmup. Thursday should feature a mix of sunshine and clouds, with highs climbing into the mid-60s to low 70s. Offshore flow will help warmer air move into the region, setting the stage for what looks to be the warmest day of the week on Friday.

Friday's forecast calls for highs in the mid-60s to mid-70s across Western Washington. That's more than 10 degrees above normal in some locations.

Despite the warmth, records aren't expected. Seattle has seen much hotter October days in the past, including a high of 88 degrees on October 16, 2022.

Cooler conditions with chance of rain this weekend

What's next:

A weakening weather system will move into Western Washington Friday night and Saturday, bringing a chance of rain, especially along the north coast and near the North Cascades.

Temperatures will cool a bit Saturday, with highs in the low to mid-60s. Another, potentially more organized system could approach the coast Sunday, bringing additional rain chances and cooler temperatures.

Columbus Day Storm anniversary

Timeline:

As we enjoy a stretch of relatively quiet weather, this week also marks the anniversary of one of the most powerful windstorms ever to hit the Pacific Northwest. The Columbus Day Storm of October 12, 1962, brought destructive winds to Western Washington, Oregon, California and parts of British Columbia.

The storm was an exceptionally intense Pacific cyclone, with some of the strongest winds occurring across Oregon and southwest Washington. Wind gusts reached well over 100 mph in some locations, toppling trees, damaging buildings and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people. The storm caused widespread destruction and claimed dozens of lives across the Pacific Northwest.

While the storm is often remembered for its devastating impacts in Oregon, Western Washington also experienced damaging winds and significant tree damage.

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