Seattle weather forecast: Temps settling, drought advisory issued

Cloudy mornings and afternoons full of sunshine will be the name of the game this weekend across Western Washington.

“Temperatures won’t fluctuate much, they’re gonna stay in the upper 70s to lower 80s” Fahrenheit on Saturday and Sunday, said Kayla Mazurkiewicz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Through the weekend, the onshore flow responsible for clouds early in the day will continue to improve air quality as it scours out some of the lingering haze from local and regional wildfires.

The heat was expected to stick around Friday across the Puget Sound interior, while a solid push of marine air cooled the coast. 

Friday began with clouds for much of Western Washington, which were expected to break up by late morning for afternoon sunshine, according to the weather service.

Highs in the interior on Friday were expected to retreat 5 to 10 degrees from Thursday, settling back to normal for the season — around 80 degrees — the weather service said.

On Wednesday, as Seattle marked its first 90-degree day of the year, according to the weather service, the Ecology Department issued a statewide drought advisory.

The advisory is informational only and is meant to provide an early warning of a possible drought. It does not include emergency authorizations or funding.

An abnormally dry early summer and spring, paired with the warmest May on record, resulted in quickly declining water supplies across the state.

“Our warm weather arrived a few weeks early this year and really kicked the runoff into overdrive,” said Jeff Marti, water resources planner for the department.

“Now, as we head into the hottest weeks of the summer, we want people to use water wisely and to be aware of our water supply situation. This drought advisory will help us get that message out,” Marti continued. 

The abnormally warm May caused an initial surge in streamflows for snow-fed rivers and streams across the state. With that surge now spent, most streamflows in the state are projected to be below 75% of normal, the department said. 

In addition to reduced streamflows, in the 60 days between April 25 and June 23, the state only received 47% of normal precipitation, according to the department. 

Impacts to municipal water systems have not been announced. Utility companies in large metropolitan areas with robust storage facilities — including Tacoma, Seattle and Everett — report having plenty of water for their customers, the department said. 

Pasture and range conditions have also seen slight improvements since early May, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, but soil moisture continues to be low across the state.

Low streamflows later this summer may impact fish, the department said, but none have been reported so far.

The department says it will continue to monitor water supply conditions and regularly reassess the need for a formal drought declaration.