Wet Thanksgiving Weather After Unusually Dry Stretch: WA Forecast

SEATTLE — Puget Sound may be in for a wet Thanksgiving after an unusually long reprieve from the November rain, according to the latest forecasts. Bucking with seasonal trends, the National Weather Service said Tuesday that no significant weather was expected this week, which typically lands among the wettest periods of the year.

There is a slight chance of rain Sunday, but if it fails to materialize, Seattle will tie the record for its longest November dry streak. Precipitation becomes more likely early next week and could ramp up just in time for the holiday, keeping things warmer and rainier through the end of the month. Forecasters are tracking potentially significant rainfall and new flooding risks.

"Wetter and more mild conditions are favored during the Thanksgiving time frame, and the pattern will become favorable for atmospheric river type events," NWS Seattle said Tuesday. "A signal for above-normal precipitation persists into early December."

The Climate Prediction Center's two-week hazard outlooks show a slight risk of heavy precipitation for all of Western Washington, heavy snow in the Cascades, and high winds along the coast between Nov. 23 and Nov. 29.

In the near term, Washington and the rest of the West Coast are looking at crisp, sunny days and chilly nights lingering into at least the first half of the weekend. Afternoon highs will struggle to reach 50 degrees until early next week, while overnight lows hover close to the freezing mark around Seattle.

One blip in the otherwise calm forecast is easterly winds expected to kick up Wednesday night through Thursday. Gusts are likely to be strongest along the Cascade foothills, San Juans, western Whatcom County and northern Olympic Peninsula, with wind speeds topping out around 25 mph in Seattle and Everett.

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

• Wednesday: 50°/34° (Mostly sunny)
• Thursday: 49°/32° (Becoming sunny)
• Friday: 46°/31° (Sunny)
• Saturday: 45°/34° (Mostly sunny)
• Sunday: 48°/39° (Slight chance of rain)