SEATTLE — Western Washington is dealing with a series of systems that brought strong winds, cold temperatures and the chance of lowland snow through the work week.
Lowland snow
A chance for lowland snow persists into Wednesday as temperatures stay low and residual moisture may be lingering.
As colder air pushes southward, we could see snow levels hovering around 400 feet during the day on Wednesday. We will see rain or snow showers but most accumulations will be spotty and less than 1/2 inch.
Greater accumulations will be possible along the strait from about Port Angeles eastward and on the northern Kitsap Peninsula near the Hood Canal and the north coast. Only a few snow flurries will continue later Wednesday into Thursday.
A Winter Weather Advisory was issued through Thursday at 4 a.m. on the Olympic Peninsula.
As always with these setups, it's a race between the cold air and the moisture. Most of the moisture will depart the lowlands before the air is cold enough to produce snow.
Any lowland snow isn't expected to be widespread and many areas may not even see snowflakes.
There may be a rain-snow mix later Saturday night changing over to mostly snow in the northern areas by early Sunday morning. The weather then changes back to rain-snow Sunday afternoon and on into the night behind the cold front Sunday.
The chance of a rain-snow mix will continue Monday and Tuesday morning with highs staying in the low 40s – about 10 degrees below normal.
Cold temperature outlook
The coldest temperatures arrive Wednesday through Friday as a modified arctic air mass settles into the region. This will keep high temperatures in the 30s with lows falling into the 20s.
Friday will be the coldest morning.
High-temperature forecast
Low-temperature forecast
High temperatures this cold will set a few new daily record low high temperatures in some spots as temperatures run about 15 degrees below average. The average high in Seattle this time of the year is 51.
The temperatures will feel even colder due to the elevated winds. Wind chills are expected to dip into the teens and even single digits for some areas.
With temperatures this cold, please bring your pets inside, protect the pets and plants, check on your neighbors, and practice safe heating measures while warming your homes.
