Record warmth, severe thunderstorms forecast for western Washington this week

WASHINGTON STATE — March is flipping the script on the previous “in like a lion, out like a lamb” adage this 12 months as our climate is about to start out roaring as we shut down the month.

The atmospheric pendulum might be swinging wildly excessive of us within the week to return, and we’ll have to be particularly weather-aware over the following two days.

The primary twist might be a surge of heat air developing the west coast courtesy of a thermal trough in California. This heat, dry characteristic tends to deliver on file temperatures, and it’ll accomplish that on Tuesday.

Highs will attain properly into the low 70s across the Central Sound, with afternoon readings nearer to 80 close to the Oregon state line. Our file at Sea-Tac that day is barely 64 levels, so highs close to 70 will simply give us a brand new mark within the almanac for March twenty fifth.

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The weird heat will lay the groundwork for a thunderstorm outbreak on Wednesday. Thunderstorms require moisture and elevate to get going, and we get these smaller cells continuously sufficient round right here. However we do not typically get a entrance seat to SEVERE thunderstorms, which require a rapidly altering temperature profile within the environment that features very heat air on the floor and really chilly air up aloft.

These atmospheric dynamics might be in place across the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, and the forecasting fashions look unstable sufficient to get the eye of the Nationwide Climate Service’s Storm Prediction Middle. The company has issued a “marginal” likelihood for remoted extreme thunderstorms in Washington and Oregon on Wednesday, which may embrace not solely heavy downpours, however massive (dime to quarter-sized) hail, downburst winds of 40 to 60 mph, and quite a few and harmful cloud to floor lightning strikes. Situations will even be ripe for a stray funnel cloud or two throughout our nook of the nation.

At this level, the thunderstorms will set off first on the ocean seashores by mid-afternoon, then will work their means up the I-5 hall from south to north because the night commute is underway. Just a few separate squall strains might come by way of earlier than the heavy showers taper off after midnight.

We do not typically have to fret about lightning security in our area, however it will likely be essential to apply the “when thunder roars, head indoors!” motto Wednesday evening. These with outside actions on Wednesday might want to monitor the skies for rapidly altering circumstances. Particularly, sports activities groups with outside practices ought to fastidiously monitor the KOMO climate app to trace the showers and will have a plan to get the athletes safely indoors because the thunderstorms erupt. Driving out the storm in a baseball dugout or beneath timber is further harmful; getting inside vehicles is okay, however safely transferring indoors and away from home windows is really helpful.

A secondary wave of regular rain and gusty wind will roll in by Thursday.