Rain, chance of lightning to hit Tacoma today; heat wave later this week
Tacoma will see showers and a small chance of lightning later this afternoon — with temperatures skyrocketing later this week.
Jacob DeFlitch, a meteorologist at The National Weather Service’s Seattle office, told The News Tribune that Tuesday will be cool, breezy and wet.
“We’re going to see some showers linger, the steady rain, most of that has finished up overnight, but we will have some showers the rest of today,” DeFlitch said. “Winds will also be a bit breezy today from the southwest, running anywhere from 20 to 30 miles per hour.”
In a Monday news release, NWS said there is a 15-20% chance of thunderstorms, most likely in southern Skagit, Snohomish and King counties. The News Tribune asked DeFlitch if Pierce County will see lightning.
“We can’t rule out one or two strikes, we could see a lightning strike here and there,” DeFlitch answered. “But it’s pretty limited overall.”
If lightning does strike, it will likely happen between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., DeFlitch said.
Summer returns full-force
The rain will clear up by Wednesday, DeFlitch said, and temperatures will reach the 70s on Friday before going up this weekend.
Saturday will see highs around 80 degrees, DeFlitch said, and Sunday will climb into the upper 80s or lower 90s. Areas away from the water will be especially hot.
According to NWS’s website, here is the forecast for other areas of Pierce County:
- Lakewood: High of 77 degrees on Friday, 83 degrees on Saturday, 89 degrees on Sunday.
- Puyallup: 77 degrees on Friday, 84 degrees on Saturday, 89 degrees on Sunday.
- University Place: 75 degrees on Friday, 82 degrees on Saturday, 87 degrees on Sunday.
- Parkland: 77 degrees on Friday, 83 degrees on Saturday, 89 degrees on Sunday.
- Bonney Lake: 75 degrees on Friday, 83 degrees on Saturday, 89 degrees on Sunday.
- Gig Harbor: 74 degrees on Friday, 80 degrees on Saturday, 86 degrees on Sunday.
DeFlitch said fires will be more a bit more likely because fuels are starting to dry out, though the humidity will still be a deterrent.
“We will have a risk for any brush fires, especially along the highway,” DeFlitch said.
To learn more, visit forecast.weather.gov.
