Precipitation forecast map shows high chance for rain (darker green) in Western Washington (image courtesy of the National Weather Service)
Summer might finally end and make way for fall, and it might happen this weekend.
That pesky high pressure ridge that’s hung around so long – and has kept western Washington so dry – is being pushed east and, says National Weather Service meteorologist, Maddie Kristell, the rain in the Friday to Sunday forecast will help push it out of the way. “That will be the first shot we’ve had in a while,” Kristell says, “where it really kind of knocks the influence of the ridge down, allowing for a pretty rainy weekend, and we have rain chances in there through Sunday (Oct 23rd).” However, Kristell says the ridge will “wobble” a bit, so we’ll still see a little bit of smoke for a few days.
Kristell tells Northwest Newsradio the long-term forecast models show more rain through the end of the month, and she says if it holds, we could actually see fall arrive in earnest, but it depends on whether that pattern takes hold after Halloween.
It’s hard for Kristell to say if it’ll mean the end of wildfire season. She says that depends on where the storm sets up and drops rain in the mountains. “Definitely, if we continue to be wet through the end of the month, I think we can say smoke will be done at that point.”
