Rain and gale force winds will ease across western WA into the weekend

The first significant fall storm of the season moved through Western Washington over the weekend. The weather will be significantly calmer this week, allowing time to clean up the fallen leaves and tree debris and restore power to those who lost it over the weekend.

More on the recent power outages: Strong winds in western Washington leave thousands in the dark

The heaviest rainfall over the weekend was mostly confined to the Olympic Peninsula in the northern Cascade areas. About six and a half inches of rain accumulated in Forks from Friday through late Sunday. It rained almost two inches in Bellingham.

Rainfall levels were much lower further south. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) only had about a quarter of an inch of rain in the rain gauge, while Olympia had just under half an inch of rain.

The strongest winds were also mainly confined to the northern plains of the region. Wind gusts peaked in the 50 to 60 mph range along the North Shore, the Admiral Inlet region including Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, and other parts of the North Sound and San Juan. Because the trees had leaves, the wind knocked down some branches, causing scattered power outages that affected nearly 20,000 customers.

The weather will be calmer this week compared to the weekend. There will be scattered showers on Monday, with snow levels in the mountains at around 4,500 feet.

Higher pressure is then expected to build over Western Washington Tuesday through Thursday, allowing some sunshine and dry conditions to return after areas of morning fog. High temperatures this week are expected to be in the 50s, with some locations in the South Sound and Southwest reaching above 60 degrees Wednesday through Friday.

Low temperatures this week will be between 35 and 45 degrees.

More from Ted Buehner: Wind, rain and the leading edge of La Niña are moving through Western Washington

Another Pacific weather system is forecast to bring rain again this weekend. Expect wet weather when the Seattle Seahawks return home to take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

As the end of October approaches, the outlook continues to reflect cooler and wetter than average conditions. Stay tuned to find out if Halloween brings this haunting weather.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted's stories and follow him here X.