Puget Sound region blanketed with snow overnight
Dec 18, 2022, 11:39 AM | Updated: Dec 19, 2022, 10:05 am
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
Update 9:21 a.m.:
Snow and rain moved into the area overnight, with Seattle and the Puget Sound region waking up to a blanket of snow.
After light snow fell on Sunday with more in the North Sound, most places in the Western Washington lowlands were at or below freezing to the start of Monday, meaning any moisture left on untreated surfaces froze.
Some schools started late or were on snow routes this morning.
Light snow is expected to continue Monday, with highs in the low 30s. Most of Monday will be relatively dry with the exception of isolated pockets of light snow.
Snow could pick back up Tuesday with a new weather system moving onshore from the Sound, this time coming from the South which experts say could cause a more widespread effect than Sunday’s snow.
Original:
The National Weather Service is saying it will be mostly cloudy with temperatures around freezing Sunday.
5:45 PM | Snow showers will continue to impact the region tonight into Monday. Most locations will see accumulations of 1 in. or less, however accumulations will be higher (1-3 in.) in heavier banding associated with the CZ across N. King/S. Snohomish counties. #wawx pic.twitter.com/SqTomU5XrM
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 19, 2022
The chance of precipitation is 60%, but what kind of precipitation depends on where you are and how you roll the dice.
⚠️Heads up!
With very cold low temperatures & Fraser Outflow picking up on Sunday, dangerously cold wind chills are expected across portions of Whatcom & San Juan counties Sunday night into Monday. #wawx pic.twitter.com/iFP7RA1m2c
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 18, 2022
KIRO 7 chief meteorologist Morgan Palmer reports windy conditions in western Whatcom County and the San Juan Islands gusting up to 50 mph. Some tree limbs may be at risk of falling.
Freezing rain will be possible along Snoqualmie Pass making travel conditions treacherous. As temperatures drop, so will the snow levels.
What starts as rain will quickly change over to snow. A convergence zone will be set up near the north King County/Snohomish County line. Snow should continue throughout the night with totals 1-3″, with isolated higher totals possible.
Sunday night, Morgan says there is a chance of snow before 10 p.m. and then again after 3 p.m., meaning get ready for possible school delays and a messy commute. The lows tonight will be in the mid-20s. Monday morning there will be a 40% chance of snow before 10 a.m. then tapering off with a wind chill of about 20 frigid degrees.
Snow will be possible Monday morning with slick roads around the north. Conditions will dry out during the day on Monday with chilly highs only in the upper 20′s low 30′s.
The trend this week will be bone-chilling temperatures. Any precipitation would be snow during this timeframe and would give the chance for the most widespread lowland snow chance.
However, we are still uncertain how much moisture will still be around. Stay tuned for more on these days.
For Friday and Christmas Eve, temperatures may begin to moderate during this time and the chance for wintry weather will shift to chances of rain.
KIRO 7 meteorologist Morgan Palmer contributed to this report
