The number one question I’ve been asked over the past few weeks is undoubtedly: when will the rain return?
And I can answer that now: the middle of this week.
Today is another beautiful warm day, with the origin being a strong upper ridge on the West Coast (see 5 a.m. upper floor map this morning, below). Yes, another ridge.
The ridge is associated with low-level winter runoff that has pushed much of the smoke from the smoldering Bolt Creek Fire into several communities east of the Puget Sound nation (see noon satellite images below). )
You can view the air quality impacts on the Purple Air map around 3pm (orange and red are the worst). Not as bad as last week, but some haze is clearly visible in the east. Some smell of smoke.
Tomorrow will be the last warm day in the series. Things change on Wednesday, when a moderate upper bottom moves (see upper level map at 5am on Wednesday). And it won’t be the last.
Light rain is forecast through Wednesday through early Thursday, with much cooler temperatures. The map below shows a total of 24 hours ending at 11 a.m. Thursday. Typical early fall rain event.
It will dry out for a few days after that and then another system is expected next Tuesday (see 24 rainfall ending at 5 a.m. Wednesday)
Summers are drier and warmer than usual, something I will discuss in a next blog. Enjoy the warmth while you can….
