Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Chico, WA

SYNOPSIS
Conditions will follow a warming and drying trend through the weekend as an upper level ridge builds into the Pacific Northwest. Troughing will move into the region on Monday and beyond, bringing in chances for rain and cooler temperatures.

SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/
Despite cloudy skies across much of the lowlands this morning, conditions will continue to improve this afternoon as high pressure aloft builds into the region. While temperatures today will peak near or slightly below normal in the 50s to low 60s, a warming and drying trend will continue into the weekend with highs reaching 70 degrees across much of the lowlands by Saturday. High clouds will persist tonight and linger through Friday before weak offshore flow allows skies to clear by Saturday.

By Sunday, the upper ridge axis will begin to shift eastward as a longwave trough deepens along the Pacific Northwest coast. While this will introduce more cloud cover across western Washington, the best chance for rain showers will be along the coast, where rainfall totals will be light. Sunday will be the last day of above-normal temperatures through the period before a more fall- like pattern settles into the region.

LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
Models continue to show good agreement over cooler and wetter conditions for much of next week as a deep upper level low moves over the region. High temperatures will dip into the 50s for most areas by Wednesday, with long range ensembles even favoring below normal temperatures through the end of next week. Precipitation will spread inland on Monday, continuing through Thursday as troughing continues to dig southward. Preliminary rainfall totals range from an inch across the lowlands to up to 3 inches over the Olympics and Cascades.
Snow levels will drop to near 4000 ft by mid-week following the cooling trend, with elevations above 4500 ft on track to see several inches of snow accumulation.

Lindeman

AVIATION
Upper level ridge building over Western Washington into Friday. Southwesterly flow aloft becoming southerly Friday.
Light flow in the lower levels.

Just some high clouds for most of the area overnight. Patch of stratus with ceilings 1500-2500 feet over Seattle-Tacoma airport extending northeast and east. This feature will remain overnight into Friday morning and expand northward along the Puget Sound.
High clouds do not look thick enough at this point to prevent patchy fog from forming over the Southwest Interior early Friday morning. Stratus dissipating around 18z with fog dissipating a little sooner leaving just some high clouds Friday afternoon.

KSEA...MVFR ceilings lowering to IFR early Friday morning. Clouds scattering out around 18z with just some high clouds FRiday afternoon. Light northerly winds 4 to 8 knots. Felton

MARINE
Weak high pressure continues to shift inland this afternoon, with winds out of the north over most waterways. A couple gusts to 15 kt have been observed over the Puget Sound waters, otherwise winds have generally remained out of the north/northeast over the waters at 6 to 10 kt today.

The next frontal system will weaken well offshore on Friday. This will likely keep the pattern partially offshore through this weekend, with waves at 3 to 6 feet. A stronger cold front will move through Monday, with rain and potential for gusty southerly winds in the outer coastal waters Sunday and Monday. Seas will build back up to 10 to 13 feet Sunday into Monday with this disturbance, dropping back to 6 to 9 feet middle of next week.

HPR

SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...None.
PZ...None.