The week ahead – Blue Thunder may not be the only rumble heard

A thunderstorm rolls through Snoqualmie last May

Well I sure was envious looking at that 85° sunshine on the TV set this morning. Go Hawks!

Fortunately, relief should be near for our current smoke situation. 

Smoke was barely thinning aloft to end the weekend.  I noticed a sun almost too bright too look (at times), and it didn’t totally disappear after 10 am like yesterday, so that was a plus I guess.  Cough cough..

While air quality is still terrible and smoke remains trapped at the surface, we should slowly improve tonight, with the positive trend continuing into Monday and Tuesday.

As an upper ridge shifts inland Monday, an increasingly moist SW flow may bring a few showers Monday into Tuesday, though models have backed off as far as getting much if any precipitation.  Still, stronger onshore push associated with this frontal system should help to clean up the air quality.

We will be in between frontal systems Wednesday, but with continued winds from the south, the smoke may make a brief return.  Though hopefully we won’t have the smoke stagnation near the surface like the last few days.

We probably get another shot at rain Friday-Saturday and this front looks a bit unstable, meaning chance of thunderstorms as it rolls through.  Will keep an eye on it. 

Further out, we may be seeing more of an intermediate-term shift in the weather pattern. As NWS said this week, “The dominant ridge of high pressure of recent weeks should be pushed to the south as low pressure develops over the Gulf of AK. This is a common seasonal shift that directs frontal systems to our region.” 

PC – NWS Seattle

Umm.. that would be a lot better for air quality and badly needed moisture to fight off the wildfires of the West.

Have a great week!

Almanac for Sep 14th (Snoqualmie Valley):

Average High: 68°       Average: Low 47°

Sunrise: 6:46 am         Sunset: 7:12 pm          Daylight: ~12.5 hours

Moon Phase (current): Waning Crescent       New Moon: Sep 17th