SEATTLE — After a couple of soggy and chilly May weekends, the biggest one of the month is on deck: Memorial Day Weekend.
The holiday weekend marks the so-called “unofficial start of summer,” and it will actually feel a bit like summer has started over the next 48 hours.
A nice ridge of high pressure is growing over the eastern Pacific, and this feature will lean in our direction Friday through Sunday. This ridge aloft will force the detour of any incoming systems, keeping skies brighter just in time for outdoor fun.
Friday’s highs will climb into the middle to upper 60s beneath partly cloudy skies, but mostly sunny conditions should boost us well into the 70s by Saturday and Sunday.
Monday won’t be quite as mild, as a weak system moves in with increasing clouds and scattered showers, especially near the B.C. border.
Two out of three isn’t bad!
Seeing as much of May felt more like March, Northwesterners are likely eager to get outside to soak up the sun.
Naturally, a lot of us like to gather around our numerous waterways to celebrate, but the first sunny, warm weekends of the season are often the most dangerous on our lakes and rivers.
The temperatures of the water in Puget Sound, Lake Washington, and Lake Sammamish are only in the 50s, and many of our snowmelt-fed rivers are in the icy cold 40s. Even the best swimmers can succumb to cold water shock in those conditions.
If you’re going to be hanging out in or around our beautiful waterways this holiday weekend, be sure to practice smart water safety:
Wear a life jacketLimit your time in the waterAvoid alcohol consumptionNever swim aloneMonitor children near the water
Know your limits and respect the power of cold waters and strong currents!
And don’t forget the adage, “the air is hot, the water is not” when playing around our lakes, rivers, and the Sound.
Even though the middle 70s qualify as warm rather than hot, the saying is still a good reminder that the water is decidedly COLD.
