Saturday, February 13, 2021

Major Snowstorm Hits Western Washington & The Next Storm

A major snowstorm has brought 6-12 inches of snow to the Puget Sound area overnight Friday into Saturday. 

I will have a blog post in the coming days with a detailed recap of what happened during this snowstorm, and the impact (or lack of impact) of the dry easterly winds.

I got a total of 9 inches of snow in Federal Way! (my measurement below). Similar totals were recorded around the area, with less (4-7 inches) near the Cascades, and more (10-15 inches) near Graham and southward.


In last night's blog post, forecast models predicted that the South Central Sound predicted 3-8 inches of snow, with lesser totals due to easterly winds. 

However, the easterly winds ended up being more localized, which allowed for higher snow totals across Puget Sound. I'll have more analysis on this in the coming days!

This storm brought hazardous driving conditions and many roads are impacted by snow and slush. A refreeze will occur tonight, so expect winter driving conditions and take it slow on Sunday.

On another note...the snow sure is beautiful! Enjoy it while it's here!!

Now for the next storm...

Low pressure will approach the Washington Coast tomorrow. Precipitation will likely begin as snow in Puget Sound. Below is a graphic from NWS Seattle showing expected new snow on Sunday.


Expect 1-2 inches of snow on Sunday!

As the graphic says, warm air will likely move in Sunday night-Monday morning. The changeover from snow to rain could be messy. There is a chance of areas of freezing rain or sleet during the changeover. As we know, ice storms can cause major impacts around here, so be sure to stay tuned (I linked some Twitter accounts below).

This will really be a wait-and-see scenario. The certain aspect is that there will be lowland snow on Sunday. The uncertain aspect is how the changeover occurs, when it happens, and what types of precipitation will fall.

Stay tuned to the Twitter accounts below for frequent updates.


I will do a short update by 12 PM Sunday. Stay tuned!

Post a comment with your snow totals!

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