“A major Pacific storm system” bringing rain, gusty winds and perhaps thunder to the PNW

Scattered thunderstorms, gusty winds and rain will sweep across Puget Sound this weekend.

After a windy Friday evening, where winds reached 66 miles per hour in much of the South Sound and 66 miles per hour on Whidbey Island, rain will tumble up and down Western Washington. According to the National Weather Service, snow is likely to fall on mountain passes in the coming days.

Temperatures will lose steam through Sunday as a cold front moves inland.

“A major Pacific storm system will continue to move into the Northwestern US over the next few days, bringing colder temperatures and much-needed rain/mountain snow to the region,” NWS wrote in its national forecast report.

Rain in Western Washington and Oregon will be “persistent.”

The detailed forecast for every day from Saturday to next Friday, as November says hello:

Rain. Rain. Rain before 11 a.m. – 100% chance of precipitation on Sunday in the greater Seattle area. Rain and possible thunder on Sunday evening. Monday means showers. There is a 50% chance of showers on Tuesday. Rain is likely to fall from the morning on Wednesday. Thursday – rain. Friday – also rain.

The humidity is also slightly higher at the moment and fluctuates around 90%.

Meanwhile, the thermometer is forecast to dip into the 40s at night for the next seven days, with highs barely above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

The cold will have an added benefit for the region, as the colder air “will allow a transition to snow for the higher elevations of the Olympics (and) Cascades in the northern Rockies,” NWS said Saturday afternoon.

NWS Seattle shared a photo Thursday morning from the webcams in Mt. Rainier National Park. “Beautiful view of Paradise at Mt. Rainier this morning with a light dusting of snow!