Snow, heavy rain wallop Puget Sound region on first day of winter
Dec 20, 2020, 1:53 PM | Updated: Dec 22, 2020, 5:43 am
Snow in Seattle takes out the inflatable dog. (KIRO Radio, Mike Salk)
(KIRO Radio, Mike Salk)
The official first day of winter saw a bout of wild weather descend upon the Puget Sound region, ranging from record-high temperatures to flurries of snow.
In total, the region saw heavy rain, strong wind, urban flooding, and snow. Temperatures started off in the mid-50s for many locations, and dipped into the low 30s by the evening.
Areas of Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Mukilteo reported snow around 5 p.m. Monday. By 5:30 p.m., there were reports of snow in Lake Stevens, Mill Creek, Shoreline, and Northgate. By 6 p.m., snow was reported in Northgate, Phinney Ridge, and Bellevue. It was snowing across most of the North Sound and in Seattle at 7 p.m.
In total, Seattle reported 0.2″ of snow. KIRO 7 said Sea-Tac Airport set a new daily record high for Dec. 21 at 58 degrees. Just four hours later, it was 35 degrees in North Seattle.
Several records were set yesterday (Monday):
– Record high (56) and daily rainfall (2.19") at NWS Seattle.
– Record high (59) and daily rainfall (1.64") at SeaTac
– Record daily rainfall (1.82") at Bellingham. #wawx— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 22, 2020
Snow also fell in Sequim earlier in the day. Snow started in the morning hours in Bellingham, where it stuck around long enough to send the WSDOT plows down I-5.
Heavy rain fell across the Puget Sound on Monday. KIRO 7 Meteorologist Nick Allard reported around 2:30 p.m. that 2 inches of rain had already fallen in Port Angeles. Several side streets, backyards, small streams, and intersections flooded on Monday.
Tuesday through Thursday will remain chilly with morning fog and black ice, and then give way to afternoon sunshine. The rain is expected to return on Christmas Day and into the weekend. More snow is not expected to return at any point this week.
