Seattle area braces for strong winds, icy mountain passes, and rainiest day of the year

Tired of the rain and wind, Seattle? Well, get ready for another round, along with icy roads over the Cascades and possibly the rainiest day of the year.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Seattle are expecting between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain to fall over the next 24 hours in the interior lowlands.

The last time Seattle saw more than an inch of rain in a single day was Dec. 5, 2023.

If the forecast holds, Tuesday could be a record day for 2024, but NWS Seattle meteorologist Samantha Borth was hesitant to make that prediction Tuesday morning.

“Definitely a lot of rain on the way,” Borth said. That’s due to an atmospheric river that is funneling heavy precipitation across the West Coast over the next 10 days, from Washington state down through Oregon and Northern California.

Meanwhile, to the north of Seattle, the Bellingham area is bracing for another round of high winds, with southeast gusts expected to reach between 45 and 50 mph Tuesday night, Borth said.

Across the North Cascades, drivers venturing over mountain passes are warned to expect freezing rain as the front works its way across the region.

Both the rain and wind are expected to decrease in the lowlands Wednesday.

“By tomorrow during morning hours, it’ll start to ease up and become more confined to the mountains gradually through the day tomorrow,” Borth said. “Expect a brief break on Wednesday afternoon and evening.”

Borth said Seattle has recorded more than 28 inches of rain in 2024. That’s still 8 inches below the annual average of just over 36.5 inches.

But if days like Tuesday continue through New Year's, the region could reach or even top that mark.