Cold & Showery Conditions Continue to Begin March

FastCast--Monday, Mar. 4 to Friday, Mar. 8:

March will begin on the cold and showery side...at least through Tuesday. On Monday and early Tuesday, expect a chance of showers, with areas of rain/snow mix or very brief snow accumulations possible, mainly Monday morning and Monday evening, when temperatures are colder. Expect highs from Monday to Wednesday to reach the low to mid 40s across Western Washington, with lows in the upper 20s to low 30s, coldest in outlying areas. Conditions will dry out as well, with Tuesday to Thursday being dry and partly cloudy. There's a potential for some low temperatures to drop well into the 20s around midweek, so stay tuned for more information on that. Additionally, highs will reach the upper 40s to low 50s on Thursday and Friday. Rain looks to return Friday evening, as a more active pattern emerges.

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Continue reading the full blog below!

March will begin on the chilly side across Washington, with lingering showers on Monday and early Tuesday, before a break from midday Tuesday through late Friday. Let's take a look at the forecast!

We'll begin with the European model forecast for low temperatures on Monday morning.

Expect lows in the lowlands and on the coast to drop to the low to mid 30s, with areas from Olympia southward dropping to the upper 20s to low 30s. Most of Eastern Washington (except the lower Columbia Basin) will drop to the mid to upper 20s, with the basin remaining in the low 30s.

Next, let's take a look at lows on Tuesday morning. With less showers around, temperatures will drop further.

Conditions will be a bit cooler on Tuesday morning, with lows in the upper 20s to low 30s for most of Western Washington, except dropping to quite chilly lows in the mid 20s from Everett northward. Eastern Washington will drop to the mid 20s to low 30s, except in the mid to upper teens around Spokane.

Now, let's take a look at the remaining precipitation for the region, starting with the NAM high-resolution forecast for snow through Tuesday.

This forecast shows a potential for 2-6" of additional snow in the passes, with a potential for snow showers and brief snow accumulation across Western Washington, most likely from Olympia southward and in Whatcom County. Additionally, areas of Eastern Washington including Spokane, Pullman, and Walla Walla could receive an additional 1-3" of snow.

Let's compare this to the European model forecast for snow, also through Tuesday.

This forecast show a potential for brief accumulating snow showers across the state (for the lowlands, amounts are likely overdone). This shows the highest probability of snow showers in this forecast are from Everett north and from Tacoma south. Eastern Washington has a potential for snow showers as well, highest in the eastern portion of the area.

If you don't see any snow in these showers, it'll likely be rain. Below is the European model forecast for total rain through Tuesday.

This forecast shows areas from Seattle south receiving 0.25-0.5" of rain, with a rain shadow from Seattle to Everett (0.1-0.2"). Areas from Everett northward will get 0.4-0.6", with the coast receiving 0.5-1". If areas of Eastern Washington receive rain instead of snow, expect 0.1-0.2".

Finally, I find it interesting to take a look at temperature anomaly forecasts. The forecast below, from the European model, shows temperature anomalies on Monday afternoon.

This forecast shows temperatures on Monday afternoon being 5-10° below average in Western Washington and up to 15° below average in Eastern Washington. This is a trend that will continue for the foreseeable future.

One more day of showers is expected on Monday, with a mostly dry Tuesday, and dry conditions from midday Tuesday through Friday afternoon! Stay tuned for more information.