Big Weekend Rains Give Way To A Pleasant Shift To Fall In WA

SEATTLE — Tuesday is the last full day of summer, and Puget Sound looks like it will send off the season with sunshine and pleasant temperatures, which should stick around for most of the week ahead.

The warmer shift follows a much-anticipated round of weekend rain, which largely lived up to the hype. According to the National Weather Service, the first significant storm system in months brought many parts of Western Washington close to their September precipitation averages in just three days.

With storms in the rearview mirror, for now, drier and warmer conditions are on tap across the region, apart from clouds and a few showers possible right around the autumnal equinox.

"Dry and mostly clear conditions will give way to a brief period of clouds and light showers late Tuesday night through Wednesday as a weak front pushes across the region," NWS Seattle wrote Monday. "Rainfall amounts will remain below 0.10" everywhere, with lowland areas likely only seeing a trace to a few hundredths at the most. Conditions will quickly improve Wednesday night, with quiet conditions returning for the long term period."

After fall's official arrival, at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, the next three days look to be mostly sunny with highs in the mid-60s to low 70s. In the long-term, a slight chance of rain may return for the latter half of the weekend.

Here is the 5-day weather outlook for the Seattle area:

• Tuesday: 72°/55° (Sunny)
• Wednesday: 67°/53° (Chance of rain, partly cloudy)
• Thursday: 67°/52° (Mostly sunny)
• Friday: 71°/53° (Sunny)
• Saturday: 70°/54° (Mostly sunny, slight chance of PM rain)