Few More Days of Cool Weather Before the Warmth Returns

Posted: May 7, 2023 7:26 am

Although the West Coast is forecast to remain cool and slightly wet for the next few days, warmer days are ahead for those tired of the dreary weather pattern. However, forecasters are predicting better conditions ahead in the coming days. Here is what you need to know if you live along the West Coast.

Cool Start to May for the West

The first few days of May got off to a rough start for much of the western U.S., distinguished by unseasonably cool temperatures up and down the coast. After a brief warmup during the middle of last week, the mercury took another nosedive just in time for the weekend.

Cities in the Northwest enjoyed temperatures that hovered up to 15 degrees above normal for early May last week before the cool weekend set in. It has also been a chillier start to the month in places such as Las Vegas. In fact, Sin City has only seen the temperatures hit the mid 80s once this month.

A sharp southward dip in the jet stream positioned over the West is to blame for the unseasonably cool weather as of late.

This pattern will hang on for another few days with readings expected to drop about 5 – 10 degrees below normal for major cities across the West, including San Francisco and Salt Lake City.

The drop in the jet stream also set the stage for a series of storms to fire up in recent days. While none of these storm systems were widespread or particularly severe in nature, they were strong enough to drop meaningful moisture across the region to close out the week.

For instance, Seattle saw 0.70 of an inch of rainfall on Friday, translating to approximately 37% of the entire historical average for May in this city. Lighter rain showers and mostly cloudy conditions persisted through the day Saturday in the Emerald City.

This wet weather is forecast to remain entrenched over much of the West for the first few days of the new week. Although none of these storms should bring heavy rain to any one area, it will still be largely dreary and cool throughout the region until at least the middle of the week.

The mercury may drop low enough to support the development of snow for some of the higher terrains. The train of moisture could also speed up the snowmelt process across the northern Rockies and the Cascades as the rain hits the snow and triggers more melting.

This snowmelt could create high water levels throughout many of the rivers and streams throughout the region.

Change on the Horizon

High pressure is forecast to begin to build later in the week along the West Coast. This high pressure zone will usher in a major change in the weather pattern by late week and into the weekend.

Not only will the wet weather move out of the area but temperatures will also be on a sharp upward trajectory.

The daily high temperatures could increase by as much as 30 degrees from the week before in some communities. This will mean readings in the mid 70s and low 80s in the Pacific Northwest, including the major metropolitan areas of Seattle and Portland.

Temperatures in this range will land at about 10 – 15 degrees above what is normal for the period around Mother’s Day. It is shaping up to be a beautiful weekend for outdoor events as families celebrate mom.

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