Rain Still Forecast Friday, But There May Be Less Than Hoped

SEATTLE — All hope is not lost for the triumphant return of rain to Puget Sound, but a shift in the incoming weather may limit how much precipitation materializes. According to the National Weather Service, updated models suggest the late week pattern may track further north, moderating forecasters' expectations for how wet it will get around the Seattle region.

"For Friday, what had looked like a promising wetting rain is beginning to look a bit more moisture starved," wrote Carly Kovacik, lead forecaster at NWS Seattle. "The front is still poised to push through the area on Friday and is still likely to bring rain to many locations, but [quantatatitive precipitation forecast] amounts have dropped quite noticeably. Current forecast now calls for anywhere from a couple hundredths of an inch to perhaps a few tenths of [an] inch in the lowlands, to around a quarter of an inch or so for the higher terrain."

The forecast shows the first chance for rain arriving late Thursday, followed by more chances on Friday and Saturday. Afternoon temperatures are expected to dip into the low 70s.

Any rain that does fall will be a welcome sight amid a prolonged dry streak across much of Western Washington since mid-June. While a few towns have seen some passing showers, even as recently as Tuesday, many are in record territory.

At the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which serves as the official monitoring location for Seattle, only trace amounts of rain fell last month, making for the second-driest July on record. As of Wednesday, the airport had gone 51 days without measurable rainfall. If Friday delivers on the precipitation, Seattle will fall just short of breaking its record of 55 days without rain, set in 2017.