First 60 Degree Day Likely Tuesday: Puget Sound Forecast

SEATTLE — After a rather chilly and soggy start to spring, Puget Sound could see its first 60-degree day on Tuesday — and we might even catch a few sun breaks. Forecasters at the National Weather Service are expecting this week will see the warmest days of the year so far, paired nicely with a drier run of weather.

Tuesday may see some lingering drizzle during the morning commute before the warm front that brought Monday's rain moves out of the area.

"[Expect] skies clearing over the southern portions in the afternoon with some lingering middle and high [level] clouds over the northern half," NWS Seattle wrote Monday. "Highs will warm up to around 60 with lower to mid 50s possible over the Southwest Interior. Seattle has a good chance at the first 60 degree plus day of the year."

Looking deeper into the week, some chance for rain will return Wednesday, with highs falling back to the mid-50s. Thursday should allow for partly sunny skies, and Friday looks like it will get close to 60 for a second time.

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

• Tuesday: 60°/48° (Mostly cloudy)
• Wednesday: 55°/41° (Chance of rain)
• Thursday: 53°/40° (Partly sunny)
• Friday: 59°/45° (Mostly cloudy)
• Saturday: 55°/43° (Chance of rain)

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's official spring outlook, the odds currently favor a cooler than average spring in Washington. That certainly bore out for the first day of the season, with Seattle recording its third coldest March 20 in 55 years, reaching just 48 degrees Sunday.

Now that the coldest months are in the rear-view mirror, the National Weather Service also shared some seasonal insights Monday, reflecting on the second consecutive La Niña winter.

Forecasters found that Seattle's average temperature was 41.2 degrees between Dec. 22 and March 19, about 2.7 degrees below normal and ranking as the 26th coldest on record. The Emerald City logged 16.42 inches of total precipitation over the same time period, which was 2.4 inches above normal and ranked as the 20th wettest. However, the number of winter days with measurable precipitation measured at 43, or a little less than half of the season, down from the normal of 51 days.

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