Cascadia Winds whipped through the foothills today to the tune of 30 to 45 mph, serving to warm up ALL of Western Washington as they blew by. Highs inched up closer to 60 in the metro area, and while cooler showers near the Oregon state line kept readings in the middle 50s in Kelso, we hit the middle 60s in Bellingham with sunshine near the B.C. border.

That warmth and blue sky will spread south by Wednesday. Most of Puget Sound should bask in sunny rays and temperatures in the low 60s for the middle of the work week; it will be a great day to get outside for some gardening or a 'So Northwest' kayak ride across Elliott Bay.

Change starts to take shape Thursday as a trough of low pressure digs in our direction. We'll cloud up and cool down, and onshore flow pumping in from the Pacific may even introduce a few initial showers into the mix by Thursday evening. We're hoping to keep the roof open at the ball park as we kick off the Mariners season, but it might prove to be a game time decision! Regardless, bring your coat to T-Mobile if you're heading there to root on the Ms, as we'll only be in the 50s for the first pitch, and will fall off into the 40s after dark.

In fact, we'll stay put in the 40s as a chilly air mass settles in Friday through the weekend. After a rainy Friday night, look for scattered showers or thundershowers to alternate with sunbreaks over the first weekend of April.

Have a great night,
Shannon

Meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell
The KOMO 4-Cast Team

Updated Tuesday Evening{/strong}