Western Washington is on track for the wettest October on record!

SEATTLE -- This month has been rainy. Very rainy. Like record-shattering rainy.

Heavy rain in the last 48 hours has just added to what could be the wettest October on Record!

"Remember October 2003? We saw our WETTEST DAY EVER!" said Q13 chief meteorologist Walter Kelley. "Over 5 inches in one day here in Seattle. I'll never forget because I was jogging that day and the Queen Anne underpass was full of water and some floating cars!"

That month, nearly 9 inches of rain fell at Sea-Tac Airport and the Federal Building.

As of Oct. 19 this year, 6.19 inches of rain had fallen this month.

And that doesn't even count Thursday's deluge which, according to Q13 meteorologist Rebecca Stevenson, had brought more than an inch of rain to Seattle by 9 a.m.



"The amount of October rain has been just staggering this month," said Q13 meteorologist Tim Joyce. "If this trend continues, with have after wave of impressive precipitation, we could easily end up in the record books."



 

Current October rain records for other locations include:


    Most of these sites above are within just a few inches of breaking records.

    Q13 meteorologist M.J. McDermott says all of that rain means an increased risk of flooding:

    "A Flood Advisory has been issued for Western King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston & Lewis Counties, as well as Eastern Jefferson, Mason, Grays Harbor and Kitsap Counties for Urban and Small Stream Flooding through 2:15 this afternoon.

    There is also a Flood Watch for western King and Snohomish Counties through tonight. And a Flood Warning on the Skokomish River in Mason County.

    If you encounter flooding roadways – TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN!"


    "I’ve also noticed a trend in the last 20 years that I’ve lived and forecasted in the Pacific Northwest. It used to be that our rainiest months were December, January and November for most NW cities," said Joyce. "Now it seems in the last 5-10 years our wettest time of year has been shifting to more impressive rain totals in our ‘transition’ months of October, September, March and April."

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    Here's Rebecca's forecast for the next several days (spoiler alert: MORE RAIN!):

    "What a splash! A direct deluge from the Pacific Ocean Thursday morning across western Washington has brought rain gauges to measure over an inch in 4 hours on the coast, and almost 0.75″ in Seattle by only 6 a.m.  What is happening this morning is termed an atmospheric river: a narrow, deep, band of moisture that runs fast and near the jet stream carrying tropical moisture.

    Steady rain will decrease to lighter showers from north to south as a front sags to Oregon.  Most towns will have a few leftover showers but steady rain showers will increase within a convergence zone this afternoon. That steadier area of rain will be near Port Townsend eastward between Everett and Seattle. Drier weather will eventually win for Friday morning before a round of much lighter rainfall moves through Friday evening.

    Saturday evening areas of light rain are expected to leave only a few showers for Sunday. Temperatures in the 50s."