Thunderstorms and heavy rain expected in Washington Saturday night

Weekend to start calm, skies to change quickly

Highs Friday will be in the low 70s as we see more sunbreaks in the afternoon. Chances of thunderstorms will increase by the afternoon along the North Cascades.

SEATTLE - It is a calm and cloudy morning across the Puget Sound area, with more sunshine expected the second half of Friday.

High temperatures will be very comfortable, into the low to mid 70s for most of the Puget Sound area.

A map showing the forecast high temperatures for Western Washington Friday.

Western Washington will see morning clouds and afternoon sunshine Friday with pleasant temperatures in the mid 70s. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Saturday will get a lot more interesting. After a beautiful sunny morning, an upper level low off the Pacific coastline will spin moisture into Western Oregon and Western Washington by Saturday evening. There is a slight chance of severe thunderstorms in the Oregon Cascades, through the Columbia River Gorge, and into the Yakima valley Saturday evening. The Puget Sound area could see some lightning, heavy downpours, gusty localized winds, and even some small hail late Saturday night.

A map showing the chamce for severe thunderstorms in Washington and northwest Oregon.

There is a slight to marginal chance for severe thunderstorms in parts of Washington and Oregon on Saturday. (FOX 13 Seattle)

The latest GRAF model shows some intense rain pushing through the central and south Puget Sound areas Saturday around 10:00 PM. These will be faster moving cells, which should limit heavy rain for long periods of time, but if you get caught in a spot with these heavy downpours, it will be coming down pretty good.

The FOX 13 Weather Team has issued a weather alert for late Saturday night into early Sunday morning due to this active overnight weather, however the weather will settle down by Sunday late morning.

A map showing heavy showers in the forecast Saturday night in Seattle.

Heavy downpours and potential thunderstorms will hit the Western Washington lowlands Saturday night. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Looking ahead, Western Washington will be dry and partly cloudy to start the work week. Temperatures will remain mild, in the mid 70s. Another chance of showers hits on Thursday.