Puget Sound's Wettest Month Gets Underway With Some November Rain

SEATTLE — October ended on a clear and sunny note, but November wasted no time in ushering the rain back in. If history is any indicator, there's a lot more moisture to come. According to the National Weather Service, November is statistically the wettest month of the year in Seattle, and the first couple weeks could be even cooler and wetter than usual. And it's not just your imagination: It's getting darker, too.

In the near term, early Tuesday looks like it'll be drier than Monday as Puget Sound gets a brief break between systems. On and off rain will stay in the cards throughout the workweek, ahead of another "parade of weather systems" approaching for the weekend.

"A warm front will clip the area Tuesday night for a little light rain, especially west of Puget Sound," NWS Seattle wrote Monday. "Wednesday looks like a relative repeat of Tuesday — a mostly dry day ahead of an approaching front. Rain will probably reach the coast in the afternoon then spread into the interior Wednesday night. This system will drag through the area on Thursday for a wet and blustery day overall."

Forecasters said the wettest November on record for Seattle brought more than 15 inches of rain to Seattle in 2006. The driest November on record saw less than three-quarters of an inch, back in 1976. Nov. 19 holds the title of year's likeliest day for rain, with records showing precipitation falling 72 percent of the time. Exactly how we'll stack up this year remains to be seen, but earlier climate forecasts have predicted a wetter fall in winter, thanks to La Niña.

Here's the 5-day weather outlook for the Seattle region:

• Tuesday: 55°/50° (AM sun/PM rain)
• Wednesday: 60°/51° (Chance of rain - 40%)
• Thursday: 56°/47° (Rain - 100%)
• Friday: 53°/44° (Rain)
• Saturday: 51°/43° (Rain)