WA weather: dash of rain in the west, fire-risky winds in the east

The dividing line of the Cascades will really make for a dichotomous weekend of weather between Western and Eastern Washington, as one enjoys rain and the other braces for extreme wildfire risk.

You guess which side is which.

Friday in the Seattle area starts out “nice and sunny” with high temperatures in the low to mid-80s, a few degrees above the 79-degree norm this time of year, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dana Felton. But after that, a weak system will move into Western Washington. 

Saturday will see only the second August 1 rain in the last 40 years. But while it might be a nice escape from the sunny heat as temperatures dip to the low 70s, don’t expect much precipitation, Felton said. The rain also could push the Blue Angels into lower-altitude shows during Seafair, if you care. 

The convergence zone over Snohomish County will have the most rain, and only a quarter of an inch, Felton said. That raininess will stick around on Sunday in Snohomish County, but rain in the general Seattle area will be over by Saturday afternoon or evening. 

Sunday will stay cooler than normal around Seattle, hanging around the low 70s while clouds linger overhead, though the rain will be gone, Felton said. The weak system’s westerly flow will even save us from dealing with the state’s east side wildfire smoke as it pushes the haze east of the Cascades.

But that’s just the thing — this weekend’s weather, while perhaps pleasant for the west side, will make things dangerous in the east. 

When the front moves east of the Cascades, winds will pick up on the east slopes hitting 30 to 40 miles per hour, Felton said. “That’s a real problem when you’ve got fires.”

There will be extreme fire danger on the east side Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, he said.