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Seattle May 14 High Temp: Will 58-59°F Hold?

Seattle May 14 High Temp: Will 58-59°F Hold?

SR Sofia Renard Climate & Science Analyst
Market Resolved
Embed this market
Resolution Verdict
YES Market Resolved

Market has ended. Final implied probability: 100%.

Resolved
Volume
$86.6K
$48.3K in 24h
Liquidity
$96.1K
Moderate depth
Time Left
Ended
Resolves May 14
87K Vol. Ended
60-61°F $11K Vol.
100%
55°F or below $16K Vol.
0%
56-57°F $11K Vol.
0%
58-59°F $8K Vol.
0%
62-63°F $12K Vol.
0%
64-65°F $8K Vol.
0%

Tomorrow’s high temperature in Seattle has traders genuinely split. The 58-59°F outcome sits at 39.5% probability, making it the single most-traded range in this multi-outcome market. But that price climbed 11% in the last 24 hours, which means something shifted in the forecast picture overnight. Here’s what the measurements are telling us: late spring Seattle temperatures in mid-May cluster tightly around the upper 50s to low 60s, and the current synoptic pattern is doing nothing dramatic to push well outside that range.

This is a short-fuse market. Resolution lands at 2026-05-14 12:00:00, which means tomorrow’s observed high at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport settles the contract. The National Weather Service Seattle office holds the relevant forecast authority here. With total volume at $30,082 and 24-hour volume reaching $23,653, nearly all activity in this market happened in the last day. That’s a thin but suddenly active book, and thin liquidity means a single updated forecast or observed temperature shift can move prices sharply.

How the 58-59°F Contract Resolves

This contract pays out if Seattle’s official high temperature on May 14, 2026 falls between 58°F and 59°F inclusive. The resolution source is Polymarket’s market resolution process, which draws on official observed temperature records. Ten outcome bands span 55°F or below up to 74°F or higher, so the 58-59°F range captures roughly a two-degree window in a field of possibilities stretching nearly 20 degrees.

  • YES (58-59°F high): Priced at $0.40, implying 39.5% probability. Pays if the official observed high lands in this two-degree band.
  • NO (any other outcome): Priced at $0.61, implying 60.5% probability. Covers all nine alternative ranges from 55°F or below up to 74°F or higher.

The NO side reflects a basic statistical reality: a two-degree window against a 20-degree field of outcomes carries inherent long odds even if the forecast is centered near 58-59°F. Missing 58-59°F requires the actual high to land anywhere outside that narrow band. The National Weather Service Seattle forecast often carries plus or minus 2-3°F uncertainty at the 24-hour horizon, which is enough to push the observed high into the 60-61°F or 56-57°F range even without a major forecast bust.

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Momentum and Market Signals

The 11% price jump over the last 24 hours, combined with a flat 1-hour change and a trend score of 50.24, reads as a single burst of conviction rather than sustained momentum. The most likely driver is a National Weather Service forecast update issued May 12-13 that tightened the expected high toward the upper 50s, pulling capital into the 58-59°F band. The trend score sitting at exactly the midpoint of 0-100 says traders aren’t chasing the move further right now.

Volume context matters here. Total traded volume is $30,082, with $23,653 of that arriving in the last 24 hours. Liquidity stands at $56,352. These are not large numbers. Volume well below $1 million means a single coordinated bet or a sharp NWS forecast revision can reprice this contract by 10 percentage points or more in an hour. Treat the 39.5% figure as a live signal, not a settled consensus.

Key Factors

  • The 1-hour price change of +0.0% confirms the 11% burst from the prior 24 hours has stalled, suggesting the market reached a local equilibrium after the forecast update.
  • The 24-hour change of +11.0% is the dominant signal, almost certainly tied to a National Weather Service Seattle forecast revision placing the May 14 high in the upper 50s range.
  • Thin liquidity at $56,352 means price discovery here is fragile. Any new official forecast data before resolution will dominate.
  • The 60-61°F outcome band is the most natural competing range given late spring Seattle climatology. Relative pricing between 58-59°F and 60-61°F is the key spread to watch.
  • Resolution happens at 2026-05-14 12:00:00, but Seattle’s actual daily high typically occurs in the afternoon. The contract resolves on the full-day observed maximum.

Lines Analysis: Seattle’s Temperature Window

The National Weather Service Seattle short-range forecast is the primary driver of the 58-59°F outcome. If the agency’s 24-hour forecast is centered near 58-59°F with low spread, the YES probability deserves to sit in the high 30s to low 40s. Seattle’s May climatology is consistent with highs in this range. The city’s average high in mid-May runs in the upper 50s to low 60s depending on the year, and the current pattern shows no strong warm or cold forcing that would push the high toward 65°F or above, or below 55°F.

The real risk to YES is forecast uncertainty in the adjacent 60-61°F band. Upper 50s forecasts in Seattle regularly verify 2-3°F warmer than predicted when high pressure builds slightly faster than models anticipate. If the observed high comes in at 60°F or 61°F, the YES contract pays nothing. That adjacent band may be underpriced relative to the 58-59°F range, and the NO probability of 60.5% reflects exactly that spread across multiple competing outcomes.

Signals to Monitor

  • National Weather Service Seattle afternoon forecast discussion: any shift in the expected high temperature range above 60°F moves capital out of 58-59°F immediately.
  • Current surface observations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 14 morning: early temperatures running warmer than expected compress the odds of a sub-60°F high.
  • Model consensus between GFS and NAM on the May 14 afternoon temperature: divergence between models keeps uncertainty high and supports NO pricing.
  • Any strong onshore flow developing overnight May 13-14: marine air intrusion typically caps highs in the upper 50s, which would favor YES.
  • Regional high-pressure positioning: if the ridge shifts east faster than forecast, highs in the low 60s become more likely, pushing price toward the 60-61°F band.

The $30,082 in total volume tells us this is a retail-driven market with real but modest conviction. The data currently favor a high in the upper 50s to low 60s range, which puts the 58-59°F band in a competitive position against 60-61°F. Neither side is obviously mispriced given current National Weather Service guidance. The next NWS forecast package before resolution will settle the argument.

LINES VERDICT

Narrow Window, Live Market

The 58-59°F band is the right neighborhood for tomorrow’s Seattle high, but a two-degree window against adjacent outcomes in both directions means this contract is genuinely competitive. The data don’t care about the politics, and right now the data point to upper 50s with real upside risk into the low 60s.

What the market says: 39.5% probability for the 58-59°F high, reflecting a market that believes this range is most likely but acknowledges meaningful competition from the 60-61°F band. Prices can shift sharply before 2026-05-14 12:00:00 given thin liquidity.

Key unknown: The National Weather Service Seattle forecast update issued in the hours before May 14 resolution is the single most important signal. A half-degree shift in the official forecast high would reprice this entire market.

Scientific Context

Seattle’s mid-May climatology puts average highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. The city sits in a maritime-influenced climate zone where afternoon temperatures are strongly modulated by onshore flow from the Pacific. Forecast uncertainty in this range at the 24-hour horizon is typically 2-3°F, which is larger than the 2-degree resolution window this contract trades. That structural mismatch between forecast precision and outcome window width is what keeps NO priced above 60% even when the forecast is centered on 58-59°F. Any shift in synoptic pattern before 2026-05-14 12:00:00 resolution could move this contract’s price by 10 percentage points or more.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does 39.5% probability mean here? It means the market assigns roughly a 4-in-10 chance the official Seattle high on May 14 lands between 58°F and 59°F. Nine other outcome bands share the remaining 60.5%.
  • What does the NO contract pay out on? NO pays if the observed high falls anywhere outside the 58-59°F band, covering all nine alternative ranges from 55°F or below up to 74°F or higher.
  • What single event would move this price most? A National Weather Service Seattle forecast revision shifting the expected high above 60°F or below 57°F would immediately reprice the leading outcome bands in this market.
  • When does this contract resolve? Resolution is set for 2026-05-14 12:00:00, based on the official observed high temperature at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for May 14, 2026.
  • Is this market liquid enough to trust the price? Total volume is $30,082 and liquidity is $56,352. Both figures are well below $1 million, so prices here can move sharply on small new information. Treat the 39.5% as directional, not precise.

This analysis reflects market conditions as of 2026-05-13 14:14:03. Prediction market probabilities are volatile and shift as new data and regulatory decisions emerge, especially as the 2026-05-14 12:00:00 resolution date approaches. Lines.com does not accept bets or provide financial or gambling advice. All market outcomes are uncertain.

Market Resolved Outcome: YES
Final Price 100%
Settled May 14, 2026
Duration 2 days

Resolution Analysis

NWS Locks In Upper 50s Forecast

The National Weather Service Seattle afternoon forecast package confirms an expected high of 58-59°F with low model spread. Marine layer holds overnight and onshore flow limits afternoon warming, keeping the official observation inside the two-degree window. Capital shifts into YES as competing bands lose ground.

High Pressure Builds Faster Than Forecast

A Pacific high-pressure ridge shifts east ahead of schedule, pushing the May 14 high into 60-61°F territory. The NWS Seattle forecast revises upward by 2-3°F before resolution. The 60-61°F band captures the trade, and the 58-59°F contract pays nothing despite being the correct neighborhood.

Marine Intrusion Caps the Afternoon

Stronger-than-expected onshore flow from Puget Sound arrives mid-afternoon on May 14, holding the high at exactly 58°F or 59°F. Models had not captured the marine influence, but the observed temperature confirms the band. YES pays out against the probability-weighted spread.

Unusual Late Cold Front

An anomalous late-season cold trough drops into the Pacific Northwest overnight May 13-14, pushing the daily high below 57°F. The 56-57°F or 55°F-or-below band captures the outcome. Both YES and the 60-61°F competing range pay nothing, and the entire price structure reprices within hours of the morning forecast.

Key macro factor: La Nina conditions in early 2026 have contributed to a wetter, cooler spring pattern across the Pacific Northwest, which supports a modest bias toward lower daily high temperatures in the upper 50s range for mid-May Seattle.

Market Timeline

May 12, 2026, 4:03 AM
Market Created
May 12, 2026, 4:26 AM
Event Start
May 12, 2026, 4:31 AM
Market Opened
May 14, 2026
Market Resolution

Market Comments

Probabilities shown are market-implied and not predictions or recommendations. This content is for informational purposes only.