That baking warmth that felt so good on sun-starved skin a few days ago has set the stage for a possible thunderstorm finale as cooler temperatures return to the Puget Sound region Tuesday.
Record-setting heat over the weekend, and temperatures in the comfortable 70s on Monday, made a “pretty prime” atmosphere for a thunderstorm, Dana Felton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, said at midday Monday.
“The warmer it is, the better the chance we can get something to trigger,” he said.
The region could see thunder and lightning at any point during the week, though it’s most likely Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, weather service meteorologist Dustin Guy said Monday evening.
A low-pressure system approaching off the coast of Oregon is expected to cross most of Western Washington, Guy said.
If the system develops into a thunderstorm, there’s a potential for periods of brief, heavy rain and small hail. If it “falls short” of a full thunderstorm, Felton said, we are still likely to see some showers.
While Monday reached 74 degrees near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the next three days are expected to be cooler, with a chance of showers and more typical temperatures in the mid-60s, Guy said.
During a lightning storm, the weather service advises staying indoors, preferably in a sturdy building or at least a car with a hardtop roof. You should also avoid hilltops, open fields, tall trees and water activities, the weather service recommends.
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