Seattle area set for first 70-degree day of the year by the end of the week

A sunny morning in Seattle’s Gas Works Park. (MyNorthwest Photo)

Warm weather is looming for the Puget Sound region, with West Washington celebrating its first 70-degree day of the year towards the end of the week.

According to KIRO 7 meteorologist Nick Allard, Monday will likely be the coldest day of the week before temperatures in the Seattle area hit the low 70s by Friday and then “at least 75” by Saturday and Sunday. Despite the inconsistent weather in the region, he notes that he is keeping this forecast “as close as possible”.

After that week of warmer weather, temperatures are expected to drop back into the 1960s by early next week.

The National Weather Service notes that while this may feel like a significant shift, Seattle typically sees its first 70-degree day of the year around April 15.

“Almost exactly on schedule, should it happen!” It said on Sunday on Twitter.

The NWS further predicted that in the first few weeks of spring we can expect cooler temperatures than we are used to before there is a “tendency towards warmer than normal when we come into summer”.

The Climate Prediction Center (@NWSCPC) processes long-term predictions (7+ days and beyond). Their current 3-month forecasts show that temperatures will drop below normal for the remainder of spring and then tend to be warmer than normal in summer. https://t.co/KanvgAh6ND

– NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) April 12, 2021

However, Allard qualified that prediction for the remainder of the season as we still have a way out.

“I’m just that far out, I don’t want to go there yet because it’s something that can change,” he told KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show on Monday. “But I can tell you there won’t be any changes this week, and then it still looks like it will start dry for the next week before we maybe see some changes.”

Meanwhile, a cold snap swept through West Washington over the weekend. The Seattle region set a record low for the day of 34 degrees on Sunday, with similar records in Olympia (27 degrees), Hoquiam (30 degrees) and Bellingham (30 degrees).