Sun Nov 30 15:20:00 UTC 2025: Seattle Braces for Rainy Thanksgiving, History Shows a Mixed Bag of Holiday Weather
Seattle, WA – Seattleites should prepare for a wet Thanksgiving this year, according to KOMO Meteorologist George Waldenberger. While a deluge of rain is expected, the city’s Thanksgiving weather history reveals a wide range of possibilities, from bitter cold to battering winds, reflective of the Pacific Northwest’s unpredictable late November conditions.
“Late November is our wettest month of the year, where storms commonly beeline in from the Pacific, so just about any type of PNW weather can be an appetizer for that big meal,” said Waldenberger.
Over the past 80 years of record keeping at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), the warmest Thanksgiving was 59 degrees in 1983. However, that record warmth was a harbinger of a powerful windstorm that brought 64 mph gusts to Renton and widespread power outages, disrupting holiday celebrations.
The coldest Thanksgiving occurred in 1985, with temperatures plummeting to a frigid 21 degrees. This was coupled with an almost 8-inch snowstorm the day before, leading to treacherous road conditions and memorable scenes of cross-country skiers navigating snow-covered streets.
The wettest Thanksgiving on record belongs to 2009, when rain gauges recorded a whopping 1.34 inches of rainfall. Measurable snow on Thanksgiving Day is rare, with only one instance recorded in 1964 (2.2 inches), but trace amounts happened more recently in 2010.
Historical data indicates that measurable rain has fallen on 44 out of the last 80 Thanksgivings in Seattle, with an additional 14 experiencing a trace of drizzle. That leaves only 22 dry Thanksgivings, or roughly one in four years.
While this year’s forecast points to rain, meteorologists will be monitoring wind gusts.
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