Seattle kicks off February with modestly rainy, tame weather

Expect a tame weather week in the Seattle area, with temperatures hovering in the 40s and low 50s — about average for February — with modest rainfall coming and going through the weekend.

A bit of wind and rain could hit us early in the week, said Dev McMillian, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. That’s because of an area of high pressure to the north and low pressure to the south, with the Puget Sound region stuck between. The competing systems could result in some wind advisories near the coast and possibly in Whatcom County, McMillian said. Gusts in the Seattle area could go as high as 30 mph on Monday night and Tuesday.

By midweek, however, the rain will likely clear out and we could see some dry weather and even sun. Rain could return by the weekend, though it’s now not looking substantial.

At a time when weather records seemingly fall every month, the start of February is oddly normal.

“We’re generally on track for typical February type conditions,” McMillian said.  

Last month was Seattle’s driest in more than 20 years, with just over 3 inches of rain. Typical for January is nearly 6 inches.

Snowpack across the state is about average, at just over 90% of what’s normal dating back to 1990, according to data collected by the University of Washington. That’s down a bit from earlier in the season, when snow depths were at 160% of average.

The warmest day of the week will likely be Friday, when the temperature could hit 52 degrees. The coldest day will be Wednesday, when lows could bottom out at around 36 degrees.