Rain in Northwest will ease heat wave; warmer weather across the West: Monday updates
After a heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, rain is expected to bring temperatures back down by later Monday, forecasters said.
Meanwhile, other parts of the West will continue to see warmer temperatures, and some locations will reach 10 to 20 degrees above average, the National Weather Service said.
Here's what to know about Monday’s weather forecast:
Rain to bring cooler weather to the Northwest after a warm Monday
It's been over a decade since Seattle reached 90 degrees in May, but there’s a chance the city could hit it on Monday.
"If Seattle were able to reach 90 this month, it would be a rather rare feat for the city," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said.
But the heat wave should be short-lived. Cities across the Northwest are expecting to get rain and thunderstorms on Monday afternoon and evening, including Seattle.
"High pressure will dominate the pattern and for the most part, but still, a retrograding storm will bring in the potential for afternoon thundershowers,” AccuWeather Meteorologist La Troy Thornton said. “Locations that get them will see brief cooling during the day, thanks to the clouds and precipitation."
Temperatures in the 80s are expected to return by the end of the week.
Warmer temperatures in the West
Other portions of the West, which includes the Intermountain West and into the Rockies, will see warmer weather this week. Temperatures will reach 10 to 20 degrees above average Monday and Tuesday, the weather service said.
The Northern Plains and Upper Midwest will also get above-average temperatures Monday that will extend to the south on Tuesday.
Thunderstorms across central US
The Central and Southern Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley will continue to see thunderstorms on Monday as energy in the upper levels of the atmosphere interacts with a moist air mass.
“Some of these storms may become strong to severe, producing large hail, damaging winds, as well as heavy to excessive rainfall,” the weather service said.