It has been a rainy start to February, with 1-2 inches of rain across most of the region this week.
Thursday afternoon into early Friday morning will be breezy, with southwesterly winds gusting 25-40 mph, peaking early on Friday. The 5-forecast blend for Puyallup is below. (big numbers are sustained winds, small numbers are gusts)
These winds will be more of a nuisance than anything else. Be careful for fallen garbage cans, etc.
Additionally, Puget Sound is in the rain shadow due to flow from the northwest.
In the UW WRF forecast below (rain through 4 AM Saturday) you can see lesser amounts in the Puget Sound area due to the NW flow. Our rain will get blocked by the Olympic Mountains. This normally happens to the Sequim/Port Angeles area, but it is reversed today.
Black arrows=NW flow, turquoise line=Olympics blocking rain
The South Puget Sound area will get only 0.04-0.3 inches of rain, while areas north of Seattle and in the Cascade foothills will receive 0.5-1.2 inches.
This northwesterly flow will contribute to snow in the Cascades. This graphic from NWS Seattle shows expected snow through Friday morning.
Expect wintry conditions on the mountain passes. Another round of heavy snow is likely on Saturday through Saturday night. The UW model below shows accumulated snow through 4 PM Sunday.
Heavy snow is expected, especially in the Cascades from King County northward, where 1-4 feet of snow are possible, especially at higher elevations.
Let’s just say that mountain pass travel will be quite challenging this weekend.
A windy day is possible on Saturday and then a potentially significant colder pattern is going to move in.
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