After a lengthy stretch of summer heat, Seattle is expected to have cooler temperatures in the coming days, bringing some relief from recent highs in the low 80s.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said cloudy skies and a “slow cooling trend” will begin Thursday night. Temperatures are then expected to stay about five degrees cooler than average through Tuesday.
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Cooler weather brings relief to Seattle as wildfires intensify eastward
A change in weather patterns is set to bring increased cloud cover and a gradual cooling trend starting Thursday night, according to The Seattle Times.
Forecasters expect light rain showers to begin moving west from the Cascades toward the Puget Sound region by late Thursday.
The NWS issued a red flag warning for Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., warning that thunderstorms, strong winds, and hot temperatures could ignite new fires. In the Eastern Cascades, temperatures could climb to 90 degrees, with wind gusts reaching up to 50 mph.
These weather conditions are especially concerning for crews battling the Bear Gulch Fire near Lake Cushman in the Olympic National Forest. Believed to be human-caused, the fire has already burned more than 3,000 acres and is 3% contained.
Residents and campers along the Dry Creek Trail—including those at the Staircase Campground and north of Lake Cushman—have been told to leave immediately under a Level 3 evacuation order. A Level 1 advisory remains in effect for areas south of Dry Creek, urging people to prepare for a possible evacuation.
Seattle’s cooler, cloudier weather is expected to last through early next week — a welcome shift, even as firefighting efforts continue under challenging conditions to the east.