It hasn’t been this hot since 1987. Will rainy season ever start in the South Sound?
Following one of the hottest Septembers on record, the greater Seattle area will soak up more sunshine and above-average temperatures to kick off October.
The area has never experienced consecutive 80-degree highs this month, according to the National Weather Service, and September hasn’t been as warm as it was since 1998. Prior to that dot-com heat, similar Septembers landed in ‘67 and ‘57.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport recorded 23 days over 70 degrees Fahrenheit last month. The 74.7 degree average garnered September 2022 the recognition of fourth warmest in more than three decades.
List of the 80°+ plus days in Seattle in October in the last 128 years (Federal Building 1894-1944, Sea-Tac 1945 to now)
1. 89° 10/1/1987
2. 83° 10/11/1993
3. 82° 10/5/1980, 10/4/1932
5. 81° 10/1/1975, 10/9/1906, 10/4/1899
8. 80° 10/3/1993, 10/14/1961, 10/8/1951, 10/1/1923 #wawx— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) September 30, 2022
On Friday night, Shelton and Olympia lived through 70 degrees, but they weren’t alone. It was 60-plus across the region, from Bellingham to Quillayute, save for Ediz Hook in Port Angeles and Whidbey Island, where high 50s reigned.
In fact, the bulk of summer, from July 1 to September 30, was the “warmest and driest … for many Western Washington locations,” NWS said Friday.
Rainfall couldn’t jump the hurdle of even a measly half-inch in Seattle.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “That sounds normal,” you might want a rain check: 2017 saw just 0.6 inches.
So, when will the rainy season join the party?
“The calendar says it’s October but the forecast will feel like August — sunny and mild today,” NWS said on Twitter Saturday morning.
This ‘lil heat wave will last for a beaming 11 days. Tacoma temperatures are forecast to exceed 70 degrees today through — drumroll — Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The likelihood of rain between now and then is slim, with an 8 percent or lower chance every day except Sunday, Oct. 9, when the percentage hikes to just 14 percent. Two days later it hops modestly to about a quarter.
The calendar says it's October but the forecast will feel like August - sunny and mild today #wawx pic.twitter.com/apcO9Svqqj
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) October 1, 2022
Fall should feel a little more normal, if we can call it that anymore, by Oct. 12, when expected temperatures drop — still in the high 60s — accompanied by a 40-plus percent chance of rain in Tacoma. In Seattle, it’s more like 30 percent.
Look on the bright side: At Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park, it’s going to be dry, dry, dry through at least next Friday, with temperatures comfortably in the 60s.
It seems the Mariners appreciate the sunshine, too.
