A pool of cool, unstable air drifting eastward over the Puget Sound lowlands will drop scattered showers over the region Wednesday morning.
The pitter patter of rain, as well as continued onshore flow, has improved air quality across the region, the National Weather Service said, and perhaps raised the spirits of rain lovers, too.
As the system fades into the North Cascades by Wednesday afternoon, high temperatures across the region will cozy up to just below normal values for the season, in the low to mid 70s in the interior and low 60s closer to the coast and inland waters.
Seattle’s high temperature of 72 degrees Tuesday marked the 63rd day in a row with a high over 70 degrees, making it the second-longest steak on record, the weather service said. If Seattle stays above 70 degrees every day through Sept. 1, we will break the all-time record.
The forecast for the next seven days calls for high temperatures above 70 degrees, “so that would get us to Aug. 29 … but that far out, I can’t say for sure that we’re going to break the record,” said Dana Felton, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle.
High pressure will begin to develop on Thursday, allowing temperatures to climb their way up the thermometer to above-average readings.
Winds will transition to an offshore northeasterly flow, which could drag wildfire smoke back into Western Washington from the North Cascades, the weather service said.
The smoke may not be as bad as the blanket that covered the region this past weekend, but “smoke forecasts are hard to do pretty far ahead of time, so we’re gonna have to just wait and see,” Felton said.
High temperatures will peak in the low 80s for most inland locations, as the coast warms into the 70s. A few locations in the southwest interior could jump into the 90s on Thursday, the weather service said.
Dry and warm winds drifting into the region will also increase fire weather concerns, the weather service said.
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