What Happened On Thursday & Update On Friday/Saturday Storm

Update 8:20 AM: A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 10 PM Friday to 4 PM Saturday for the Puget Sound region. The warning is below.

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It has been a cold day across Western Washington. The main weather story of the past 24 hours ending 7 PM Thursday has been the battle between dry easterly winds and the snow. 

From the morning to mid-afternoon, the dry easterly winds won the battle for snow. 

Around 4-6 PM, winds calmed, humidity rose, and snow started falling around the area. Snow has accumulated as well, with a trace to half inch being reported around the Tacoma/Puyallup area.

Additionally, snow is sticking to roads, including I-5 and main roads. (See WSDOT camera below in Federal Way at 9:30 PM.)

An additional trace to 2 inches of snow is possible through Friday morning. The graphic below from NWS Seattle shows this forecast.

It will be quite cold across the area tonight, with lows of 20-25 degrees likely. This will bring icy conditions to wet road surfaces, with some snow possible on side streets. 

Additionally, brisk winds will bring cold wind chills of 10-25 degrees overnight.

Now, our attention turns to the complex forecast for the Friday night/Saturday storm system. The same easterly winds that made it challenging for snow to fall on Thursday will make for another challenging forecast.

In the graphic below from NWS Seattle, we see that the Tacoma/Puyallup areas will likely receive 4-8 inches of snow. 

Even with this forecast, there is still uncertainty. There is potential for a well-defined line between greater totals and lesser totals, likely setting up over King County. That is due to the dry easterly winds.

What you should know is that the incoming storm is stronger than the Thursday storm. Confidence is higher in more widespread snow, but exact amounts, placement, and timing remains somewhat uncertain.

By tomorrow night, details regarding this storm will likely be more clear.

Stay tuned for an update tomorrow evening as the next storm moves in and the forecast will likely be more certain!