Forecast: Wet Thanksgiving will end a November dry streak
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 21, 2018
EVERETT — Bluebird days accompanied by the dry crunch of frosty autumn leaves soon will be replaced by rain and gray skies.
So far it’s been the fourth-driest November on record, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle. Typically, Sea-Tac Airport sees an average of 4.12 inches of rain by Nov. 19. This year there has only been .87 inches.
That will change as the month ends with a soggy wallop, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Clouds bearing rain will start moving in Wednesday and pick up into Thursday and Friday. Thanksgiving could see up to a half-inch of rain, bringing with it 15 mph winds with 45 mph gusts.
“It’s a good day to sit inside and eat some turkey,” meteorologist Jeff Michalski said.
Holiday travelers should be wary, as it could snow as low as 3,000 feet Thursday and Friday, affecting mountain passes. The National Weather Service is encouraging people to call 511, the state highway and weather information system, or check pass conditions online before taking to the road.
People in lower elevations will be able to put away their ice scrapers, though. Wednesday morning’s low at Paine Field in Everett was 49. Temperatures are forecast to reach lows of 42 Thursday and 38 Friday. Highs will breach the 50s.
The weather will lighten up into scattered showers over the weekend, but any respite will be short-lived: Next week should bring yet more rain.
The rain closing out the month won’t be record-breaking — the wettest November days typically eclipse an inch of precipitation — but it might be a rude return to reality for those getting used to dry roads during their commutes.
“The rest of November will look like November, as it should,” Michalski said.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
