Seattle woke up Saturday, March 28, to cool, mostly clear skies and midmorning temperatures hovering near 45°F. High clouds will slide in through the day and the lowlands should still warm into the mid 50s, although a light north northwest breeze will keep things feeling a bit crisp. There is only a slight chance of light rain late Saturday afternoon and evening as a stronger system moves in from the Pacific.
Sunday System And Snow Levels
A frontal system arrives Sunday, March 29, bringing rain through much of the day and a late transition to a rain and snow mix for parts of the region Sunday night into Monday. Snow levels could drop toward pass elevations and may briefly dip to around 500 feet early Monday in the Central Sound convergence zone, which would be enough to produce a rain snow mix in some low lying neighborhoods. The National Weather Service Seattle lays out the timing and the unusually cold setup in its latest forecast discussion.
What This Means For Your Commute
Saturday, March 28, stays mostly dry and partly sunny, with a high near 55°F and only a small chance of light evening rain after 5 p.m. Saturday night into early Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a chance of light rain and lows in the upper 30s to low 40s. Sunday is the wetter day, with highs near 48°F and about an 80% chance of precipitation, and pockets of wet snow are possible late in the day, especially in the foothills and inside the convergence zone.
Marine And Mountain Impacts
Mariners should keep an eye on Sunday night, when a stronger onshore push is expected. Forecasters say coastal waters and parts of the West and Central Strait of Juan de Fuca have the best chance of small craft advisory level winds, with seas near 7 to 9 feet through Monday before building later in the week. In the Cascades, a modest round of new snowfall is on tap, with a few inches in many locations and isolated higher amounts that could briefly affect pass conditions.
How To Prepare
Plan on a rain jacket for Sunday and some extra layers for the chilly mornings. Lowland spots could dip into the low 30s by Monday, March 30. For more background on the broader wet pattern that has been hanging around this month, see soggy commutes as Cascade snow cranks up.
