Rain, rain go away ... It’s a broken record

It’s the same old story in Western Washington: There’s rain, and a lot of it.

On Tuesday, we broke the record for most rainfall for February and March, with 15.56 inches at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That beat out 2014, when 15.55 inches fell in the two-month period.

Precipitation has surpassed 15 inches only twice in the past 120 years, according to the National Weather Service.

But the rain isn’t done with us yet.

Showers are forecast through Thursday, with the sun coming back Friday.

Forecasters said it may end up being the sixth-wettest March. As of Tuesday afternoon, 6.73 inches had fallen this month.

Temperatures through the week are expected to remain in the high 50s, though it could inch up to 60 degrees Saturday.

That would make it the first 60-degree day of the year.

Although the greater Seattle area had seven days above 60 degrees in March 2016, the warmest day this year has been 58.

There’s only been one year in the past 45 years that hasn’t reached 60 degrees before April 1, and that was in 2002.

It’s been a particularly chilly, wet season, though.

The Weather Service offered these seasonally depressive facts:

▪ Since Oct. 1, 69 percent of the days (123 days to be exact) have had rain or snow.

▪ 84 percent of those (149 days) had more than 70 percent cloud cover.

▪ 5 percent (or 9 days) had 30 percent or less cloud cover.

This much rain, of course, means an increase in the risk of landslides.

The Weather Service warned that heavy rainfall through Wednesday — possibly more than 1 inch — could mean already saturated soil starts to slide.

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 8:46 AM with the headline "Rain, rain go away ... It’s a broken record."