WEATHER WARNING: Fire danger is critical around Washington tonight as “dry thunderstorms” move through the Evergreen State. These storms tend to bring strong lightning and light precipitation, so their arrival when we're in the middle of summer and the weather is already very hot and dry can do more harm than good. Red flag warnings are in effect across much of Washington to emphasize the seriousness of the wildfire risk.
Most thunderstorms are scheduled to blow from the top of the Cascades into the Columbia Basin. While we don't expect the storm to move into Seattle, at least some units may move into foothill communities like Enuklaw or Monroe. Plus, we're sure everyone will be feeling the presence of stormy weather, as it will be noticeably muggy and sticky around the bay on Wednesday. High temperatures will mainly cool into the upper 70s and lower 80s as cloud cover increases.
After that, we'll return to the warm, dry pattern we've had for much of the month. The “heat dome” moving back toward Arizona will expand a bit later this week, pushing in our direction and pushing our temperatures into the mid to upper 80s on Friday and Saturday.
Marine stratus clouds will develop along the coastline in the morning, followed by clear skies in the afternoon, with highs reaching 60 degrees in Marine Park and La Push. Temperatures will be in the 70s in the San Juans and Whidbey Island, and Eastern Washington will continue to enjoy the summer heat, with highs returning to the 90s and lows in the 100s Thursday into the weekend.
Meanwhile, several new fires broke out in Oregon last night due to thunderstorms. We'll keep you posted as to whether Washington will experience the same problems as these storms approach.
have a good night,
Shannon
Meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell
KOMO4 Forecast Team
Updated Wednesday evening
