Rain Briefly Returns, Then A Drier Weekend: Puget Sound Forecast

SEATTLE — After a two-day break in the wet weather, the rain returned to Puget Sound Thursday afternoon, but forecasters expect the weaker system will move out of town soon and allow for a mostly dry — and fairly cool — weekend.

Fortunately, the National Weather Service does not expect flooding concerns or strong winds with the latest system. That is especially good news for communities in Northwest Washington, where severe flooding earlier in the week damaged hundreds of homes in Whatcom County. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee said the state was working with local leaders to determine the need for potential federal disaster relief.

Forecasters expect the rain will filter out for most by Friday afternoon, allowing for partly sunny skies and highs slightly below 50 degrees. The drier air is on track to stick around through most of the weekend, before the next series of systems due for the holiday week.

"There could be some lingering showers Friday morning as the system continues to move eastward, but overall things will be on the dry side as an upper-level ridge moves into the area," wrote Mary Butwin, a meteorologist at NWS Seattle. "This ridge will stick around through the weekend and give Western Washington a much-needed break in the rain."

On Wednesday, Seattle logged its coldest morning since March, dipping just below the freezing mark, and the next few nights promise to be pretty chilly, too. However, forecasters expect overnight lows should stay in the high 30s.

More rain returns to the forecast after the weekend, but early indications show none of the incoming systems will be particularly strong, which should be good news for Thanksgiving travelers.

"The next frontal system is expected to approach the area Monday and then move through later in the day into Tuesday," Butwin wrote Thursday. "There may be another short break between systems Tuesday and Wednesday but a series of systems will move through during the second half of the week."

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

• Friday: 47°/39° (AM rain, then partly sunny)
• Saturday: 48°/39° (Chance of rain - 30%)
• Sunday: Sunday: 48°/38° (Mostly cloudy)
• Monday: 49°/42° (Rain)
• Tuesday: 48°/42° (Rain likely)