Western Washington Weather: Soggy, But Mild Weekend Awaits

SEATTLE — The weather is warming up and the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Heck, UW is even hosting its first-ever cherry blossom festival this weekend to celebrate its gorgeous, flowering campus.

Unfortunately, it's likely to be a somewhat soggy affair.

After a relatively dry (if cloudy) Friday, a weak weather system is predicted to begin moving into the Puget Sound region Saturday, bringing with it some of that familiar winter gloom.

"The front will eventually reach the coast late Friday evening and push onshore Saturday with some light rain expected across much of the region," NWS Seattle said. "Much of the interior, including the Seattle metro area, may not see much in the way of measurable rain, but a more moist and cloudy day is expected at least."

Soggy, wet winds in the lowlands will be completed by snowfall high in the cascades. The National Weather Service says the snow level may be low enough to impact some of the higher mountain passes, but will lift relatively quickly— meaning anyone heading east over the weekend shouldn't worry about traffic backups.

Sunday will not live up to its name as the sun will be buried behind cloudy skies. Again, forecasters predict a roughly 40 percent chance of rain for most of Puget Sound. Overnight temperatures will chill into the mid 40s, with highs in the mid to upper 50s.

Monday should be more of the same, so expect a sad-ish start to the work week, but by Tuesday a new system will be moving in, bringing with it sunnier skies and warmer temperatures. If you've got any grilling or other outdoor activities on the docket, Tuesday is probably the best chance you'll have for a bit: come Wednesday, and another wet system will be rolling in to rain out the remainder of the work week.