Heavy rain, gusty wind, possible urban flooding ahead

SEATTLE — As the season changes to fall, Seattleites should expect some rainy weather on the way. In fact, all of Western Washington will be receiving some serious rainfall!

By Saturday morning, a modest front moving into the coast will spread some showers across the Olympic Peninsula and possibly western sections of the Puget Sound region, but a lot of spots are rain-free at daybreak. Bands of rain showers move east across the area as the day goes on, with the best chance of rain for the I-5 corridor from late morning through mid-afternoon. By late afternoon into the evening, rain showers will be tapering, so it’s possible we make it through the Huskies game rain-free, or perhaps with just some light showers. Highs will be in the 60s.

Sunday will be mainly dry for most until mid-late afternoon when heavier rain moves ashore and quickly heads inland. Highs will again be in the 60s.

Rainfall amounts for the weekend will be generally a few tenths of an inch in the interior, including around Puget Sound, with more than a half-inch at the coast and 1-2″ in the mountains.

Rain will be heavy at times at the coast on Sunday night, and then eventually inland around Puget Sound and the I-5 corridor. This will continue through Monday and even into Tuesday as multiple bands of moderate to heavy rain affect the region. It will be breezy at times, though peak winds won’t likely be much more than 30-35mph, mainly on/near water. Still these gusts so early in the season (trees still have their leaves) and after a serious drought could cause some sporadic tree damage and power outages.

Rainfall amounts of 1-3″ in the lowlands from Monday through Tuesday night can be expected with 4-8″ in the mountains with higher amounts in the Olympics. While this is unlikely to cause river flooding because of the ongoing drought, rivers will spike higher. Burn scars will have risk for flash flooding and mudslides. In the lowlands, urban flooding from clogged storm drains is possible.

Showers won’t be as heavy Wednesday through the end of the work week, but we’ll continue to get rain from time to time. Highs all week will be in the 60s. By mid-late week, we could also see snow levels back down to below 6,000 feet bringing a little snow to the higher peaks.

Also, check your wiper blades and replace them if needed. Capable tires are also a must-have.

For more weather news and updates for this weekend download our KIRO 7 Pinpoint Weather App.

©2023 Cox Media Group