Warm and wet on tap this week for South Sound weather
Another atmospheric river will blast western Washington starting Monday night but most of it will hit north of Pierce County, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
There will be no repeat of 2021’s snowy ending. Highs will be in the 50s, said weather service meteorologist Mike McFarland on Monday.
Wednesday could see a high of 55 degrees in Tacoma and Olympia.
While the Olympic Peninsula, King County and other points north will see the major impact of this week’s weather, there will still be close to a 100 percent chance of rain through Wednesday in Thurston and Pierce counties, McFarland said.
Warm temperatures mean the snow level will be well above pass levels. While that’s good news for travelers still recovering from last week’s multi-day closures, it’s not the best conditions for skiers.
There were no flood watches issued south of King County on Monday, but McFarland didn’t rule it out if rain totals in the Chehalis and Skookumchuck river watersheds were high enough.
“But, I wouldn’t be surprised if later forecasts do have it coming up into that yellow action stage,” he said.
Flooding on those rivers caused damage to areas of Centralia last week and led to the death and disappearance of two men in Grays Harbor County.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 1:47 PM.
