Cool & Cloudy Weather Returns, But Not For Long: Puget Sound Forecast

SEATTLE — Temperatures are on track to tumble 15 to 20 degrees Friday, thanks to a push of ocean air that will turn things cooler and cloudier, bringing with it a chance for rain showers. Afternoon highs fell just short of 90 degrees Wednesday and Thursday at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and the National Weather Service expects relief from the late summer heat will stretch through the weekend.

Temperatures forecast Friday through Sunday should barely break into the 70s around Seattle, with cloud cover sticking around for at least part of Saturday before things clear up. A much-needed drizzle could be in the cards, too.

"Areas of light rain or drizzle are possible along the coast by early Friday morning," NWS Seattle wrote Thursday. "A few showers may break out across the North Interior and North Cascades late in the day."

For the Seattle area, the best shot for a few showers looks to arrive Friday evening through early Saturday.

However, the cooldown will be temporary, and summer has at least a little juice left in it, forecasters said Thursday. The National Weather Service is already tracking another burst of heat for the last week of August: Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia could break into the 90s again by Tuesday.

If the Emerald City manages to break into the threshold next week, Seattle will have tied its all-time record for 90-degree days in a single year at 12. Fortunately, forecasters say the odds greatly diminish as September arrives. Seattle logged just five September days in the 90s over the 2010s and has just one so far this decade.

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

• Friday: 74°/57° (Mostly cloudy/PM chance of showers)
• Saturday: 71°/56° (AM chance of showers, PM clouds)
• Sunday: 74°/57° (Partly sunny)
• Monday: 80°/59° (Sunny)
• Tuesday: 87°/62° (Sunny)