Summer is at its end, and forecasts say cities around Puget Sound will get a taste of the approaching rainy season overnight Saturday into Sunday with measurable precipitation.
Rain expected to fall in Tacoma and Olympia could amount to between a quarter and a half-inch, according to the National Weather Service, as a frontal system moves into the region. The heaviest rain is expected before sunrise but some showers could stick around into the morning.
It’s some much-needed moisture for what has been a particularly dry summer season. According to the NWS Seattle Office, rainfall in Seattle this year through Sept. 18 has been the fifth-driest on record since 1945 with 15.57 inches of rain.
It won’t be enough to put an end to fire season, forecasts say, but it should bring some short-term relief to active fires. The Bear Gulch Fire in Olympic National Forest grew Friday, and it has burned at least 18,728 acres, pushing smoke into Thurston and Mason counties and prompting an air quality alert in effect through Saturday night.
The NWS says smoke from fires on the Olympic Peninsula will continue to degrade air quality through Saturday, but this incoming system should improve air quality. Rainfall over the Olympic Peninsula is expected to mostly range between a quarter inch and an inch, with the possibility that some areas get a little more.
For much of Western Washington, including Tacoma, skies remain mostly clear. And warm temperatures with highs near 74 on Saturday and 68 on Sunday make it hard to tell that Monday is the last day of summer, marking the autumnal equinox.
And there’s more warmth in the forecast for next week, with high temperatures staying in the low- to mid-70s and lows hovering around 50. Add largely clear, sunny skies and you’ll be forgiven for thinking the weather didn’t get the memo about fall. The next chance of rain is predicted to come Thursday night and Friday.