Sunshine and blue skies will kick off the holiday weekend for a fantastic Friday around the Sound. High pressure over the eastern Pacific will keep us clear and dry along the I-5 corridor, and highs will hover near 80 in the Emerald City as cars fill up the highways and ferries zoom across the waters to get Washingtonians to their destinations.

In spite of the sunshine in the metro area, we'll be surrounded by weather issues on either side. To the east, more thunderstorms will rumble in Eastern Washington, and once in awhile, those cells may bubble up close to the Cascade crest; you'll want to keep the slim chance for hail or lightning in mind if you're hiking or camping in the high country on Friday. To the west, a robust marine layer will gather along the Pacific beaches, clouding up Seabrook and Ocean Shores and bringing highs there down into the upper 50s.

That marine layer will decide to get on the move by early Saturday, riding a strong seabreeze in around the Olympics and filling up the Puget Sound basin with clouds and drizzle by Saturday morning. While we'll eventually chip away at the overcast, the cool onshore flow will yank afternoon highs back into the upper 60s from Quilcene to Renton on Saturday afternoon.

Thereafter, a slow warm up will take shape, and thanks to quicker clearing each day, highs will bounce back into the low 70s near the metro area on Sunday and Monday. Overall, this will be a decent Memorial Day Weekend...no need to go too far at all to enjoy comfortable conditions to kick off the unofficial start of summer.

Have a great night,
Shannon

Meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell
The KOMO 4-Cast Team

Updated Thursday Evening{/strong}