Winter Weather Ahead: What You Need To Know

By now, you have probably heard that cold weather is heading for Western Washington. In this blog post, we will examine the upcoming weather and determine what is certain and what isn't.

To start off, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the blue shaded area (Cascade Foothills) from 6 PM Sunday to 7 AM Monday. 

While all of the Cascade foothills, from Pierce to Snohomish counties, are included in this alert, only select areas will receive the 1-3 inches of snow advertised in the advisory. This is accurately illustrated on the UW model, showing snow through 4 PM Monday.

The UW model shows possible light snow (trace-0.5") in the area south of Everett towards Stevens Pass and a possibility of some light snow (trace-1") across the South Sound. This isn't super likely, but don't be surprised to see some snow overnight into the morning. The best chance of snow (1-3") is in the North Bend area.

Now, let's talk about the cold temperatures that are moving in this week. Arctic air will be moving into Western Washington, with temperatures cooling all week and likely bottoming out on Thursday and Friday.

The forecast for Puyallup from The Weather Channel is below.

Notice that Thursday and Friday will be very cold, with temperatures struggling to get above freezing and lows in the low-mid 20s.

Temperatures could plummet even more than this. The graphic below from NWS Seattle shows the uncertainty in low temperatures on Friday the 12th.

Basically, low temperatures in the Metro area could be as "warm" as 31 degrees, or as frigid as 14 degrees. The average is 21 degrees. Brrr!

Bottom line: it will be COLD!

Additionally, brisk winds out of the Fraser River Valley and Eastern WA will bring very cold wind chills by Friday.

Potential wind chills on Friday and some reminders about the cold from NWS Seattle are below. (click to enlarge)

Wind chills as low as 10 degrees are possible by Friday. This is very cold for our region, and I'll be sure to keep this blog updated about impacts from the cold.

Congratulations! You've made it this far! Now...let's talk quickly about the potential of lowland snow this week. Here's what you need to know right now regarding late-week snow:

• The best chance for lowland snow is Thursday through Saturday
• Uncertainty regarding snow amounts is still very high
• Significant snow is possible but that potential is too uncertain at this time
• A lot of things need to go "right" (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) for a significant lowland snowstorm
• So...stay tuned!!

In short: this will be an active week of winter weather. Stay tuned for updates!