New day, same January pattern:  a glorious ridge of high pressure is planted over the Eastern Pacific, bringing quiet, peaceful weather to the Pacific Northwest.  Any other time of year this would probably be a very welcome visitor, but in the winter?  Not so much. That monster high pushes down on us--keeping us rain-free, yes--but also trapping plenty of fog and low cloud cover in the interior of the Sound.  As a result, overnight lows keep dropping into the 20s, whereas afternoon highs are struggling to get a few degrees above freezing.  Not exactly the pleasant scenario we envision when high pressure comes to town!

Air quality continues to deteriorate, as wood smoke and vehicle emissions are trapped near the ground.  An AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY is in place for much of Western and all of Eastern Washington until noon on Tuesday.  And as tempting as a crackling fire sounds, it's a big no-no for Thurston, Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties, as a Stage 1 Burn Ban is still in effect. This means that you can't burn anything in your fireplace unless it's your only form of adequate heat.  {Certified wood-stoves are acceptable, however}  Lows will again drop into the middle 20s to about 30 degrees in Puget Sound, and more fog and freezing fog will keep visibility low and the chance for black ice high.  Be careful navigating around out there Sunday morning!

There will be increasing clouds and showers today. We have a just a few sprinkles outside this morning, but the afternoon will bring showers and then plain old rain by the overnight hours. Highs today will hit the low to mid-40s.

We do have a WINTER STORM WATCH up for the Cascades tonight and Monday. Plan on winter driving conditions with snow and some freezing rain across the passes.

For the rest of us, Monday will be gray and showery. Plan on breezy conditions as well as the next front approaches the coast.

Tuesday plan on rain and wind with highs in the mid-40s in most areas.

Behind that front comes some cooler air that will take over for the rest of the week. Highs will drop back to the upper 30s with overnight lows below freezing in many spots. Because of the snow level will be around 1000 feet for several days; the second half of the workweek could bring a few snowflakes mixed in with your showers especially on those higher hilltops.

Theron Zahn
The KOMO4cast Team