Seattle sweater weather is back — but will we need rain gear?

Fall has arrived in Seattle. Summer already feels like it was so far in the past, thanks to this wet, chilly start to the season.

The precipitation was welcome as we head into an El Niño winter, which has experts expecting things to be a bit warmer and drier in the months ahead.

"Especially after the first the calendar year, it will tend to give us warmer and drier conditions than usual," Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond told KUOW. "Its big impact is on how much water is in that [mountain] snowpack at the end to winter, to get us through the dry season. Right now, it's looking like it's going to be less than usual. Hopefully, not a lot less."

According to the National Weather Service, September ended with just under three and half inches of rain, with about two and half inches falling in the last week of the month alone. That made it the third-wettest final week of September in 79 years, for those of you keeping track at home.

RELATED: Water usage around Seattle is down, but the recent rain still won't help reservoirs

Unfortunately, the recent rain has not been enough to offset the dry months that preceded it. Public utilities are concerned about reservoir levels after these past dry months. Those concerns are compounded by the forecast of drier-than-normal seasons ahead. Cities like Bellevue, Kirkland, and Seattle continue to ask residents to conserve water as much as possible.

Seattle weather around the corner

Meanwhile, we are expecting a whisper of summer this upcoming weekend. Don't blame the El Niño, though; Bond said it's just a fluctuation in the weather rather than a sign of conditions to come.

"We certainly aren't looking for anything like what we experienced last October in which, in the middle of the month, Seattle actually got to 86 degrees," Bond recalled. "That's hot any time of year."

Rather, we're looking at a pleasant weekend with sunny, warmer today through the weekend.

Don't get too comfortable. The next front arrives Monday, according to the NWS.

By the way, it's Climate Week at NPR. So, while you soak up a bit of October sunshine this weekend, consider some of the ways you and your community can fight climate change.

Individual changes to lessen our carbon footprints, for example, might not make a significant different. Bond suggested familiarizing yourself with the policies that do have an impact.

"We're past the point of a debate about climate change," he said. "Now, it is: Where do we put our resources? And what problems are we especially sensitive to that we can do something about?"

Check out KUOW coverage of local efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, manage the effects of wildfires, and explore more sustainable energy and transportation ideas.