FINALLY, Some Warm Weather

After a cool, wet March, we are finally getting some warm spring days.   

 Warm and dry enough so that you will be comfortable without a jacket.    Highs reaching the upper 60s and some sun. 

Perfect weather for that bike ride, hike, gardening, or simply a pleasant talk.

The National Weather Service National Blend of Models (their most skillful product) is going for 62F on Saturday, 65F on Sunday, and nearly 70F on Sunday in Seattle, before cooling down on Tuesday.

Eastern Washington will be considerably warmer, reaching nearly 80F in the Tri-Cities on Monday.

To provide more detail, here are forecast temperatures for 5 PM Sunday afternoon from the UW high-resolution model. 

Upper 60s and 70s from southern Puget Sound to Portland, and also warm in the lower Columbia Valley

By Monday afternoon at the same time, western Washington and Oregon have cooled a bit, while the Columbia Valley has warmed.

All this warming is associated with a transient upper-level ridge of high pressure that will build over the area this week (see below, for 500 hPa...about 18,000 ft, red indicates high pressure).

By Tuesday morning, the high pressure retreats westward and a trough of lower pressure (blue colors) passes to our north, bringing the cool down.

Enjoy.