35 mph winds and high tides: More unsettled weather set to hit Western Washington this week

November marks the wettest month of the year in Seattle, and the region's spigot has officially turned on: more unsettled weather fronts are expected to roll through Western Washington through the end of the week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle is currently predicting that Wednesday will remain slightly dry before rain showers return on Thursday along with strong wind gusts.

"A trailing upper short wave will push through the area on Thursday for a showery day," wrote NWS in their Wednesday forecast discussion. "It will also become locally windy along the coast and north interior Thursday as a surface trough moves through then there will be a push of southerly winds through Puget Sound in the afternoon. Another front will move through the area on Friday for more rainy and blustery weather."

Wind gusts are expected to peak in the afternoon and evening hours on Thursday and could reach 35 to 40 miles per hour for much of the Puget Sound region. Areas along the coast could see wind gusts as high as 45 miles per hour on Thursday, and localized power outages and tree damage are possible.

Areas in the lowlands are expected to receive half an inch to one inch of rain through Thursday evening. Although there will be dry breaks, wet weather will persist over the weekend with most areas in Puget Sound set to receive up to an inch and a half of rain by Sunday.

Minor tidal overflow is possible for areas along the coast Thursday due to low atmospheric pressure and high astronomical tides. Heavy showers over the Olympics could also lead to localized flooding and rises on rivers. The Skokomish River is expected to see a sharp rise on Thursday and could reach minor flood stages by early Friday morning.

Temperatures will remain chilly with highs in the low 50s and overnight lows in the upper 40s. As the fronts move inland, minor snow accumulations are possible for some of the higher mountain passes. The snow level is currently expected to drop to 4,000 feet on Friday and could fall to 3000 feet by early next week.

After a summer that saw persistent drought conditions in the state, Seattle measured a total of 5.76 inches of rain last month, which is 1.85 inches above normal according to NWS. On the coast, Quillayute measured 19.53 inches of rain last month, which is 8.85 inches above normal.