WeatherWatcher: First storm of the season arrives Friday

 

Overflowing stream in Lake Forest Park.
October 10, 2015, photo by Carl Dinse.

Days are shortening and nights are cooler after a very dry summer, but our first real signal of a changing season arrives Friday. A moderate Pacific storm is already knocking at our door as it moves in Friday bringing light but steady rain in the morning hours. Windy conditions are expected as well in the late morning and afternoon hours.

Animated satellite in geo color mode from the National Weather Service Thursday night 

As seen in the above satellite loop, a storm system that is more typical for late October or November is arriving in our region. Widespread soaking rain is expected starting off slow at first Friday morning but ending Friday evening in moderate to heavy rainfall. Up to one inch of rain is possible in the Shoreline and Lake Forest Park areas by Saturday morning.

Winds: It will be windy too, not a major windstorm but more wind than we've seen in several months. Winds out of the south will start to increase in the late morning to afternoon hours. Wind speeds are expected to be around 15-30mph with some locally higher gusts. There might be a few isolated power outages in the area since this is our first strong wind and foliage is still on all our trees.

Weekend: Stormy weather continues through the weekend, with a slight chance of thunderstorms starting late Friday night and lasting through Sunday afternoon. Some areas could pick up an additional inch of rain leaving us with a 3-day rain total up to 2 inches in places.

Next week: Most of next week we are expecting mostly cloudy skies with a chance of showers. Tuesday looks to be our sunniest and warmest day of the week with a high temperature near 70°F. Otherwise expect to see high temperatures in the mid 60's and lows near 50°F for most of the workweek.

Bottom Line: A lot of rain is expected this weekend. Some areas may have local standing water or urban flooding due to clogged drains. There will be wind as well, but more in the breezy category rather than windy category. Only isolated power outages are expected, if any. 

If you have any storm drains around your home, it would be a good idea to go out and check on them to make sure they're not blocked up with leaves or other debris Friday and during the weekend.

For current weather conditions visit www.shorelineweather.com