Mistaken blizzard texts spark concern

A National Weather Service alert warning people of blizzard conditions in the Olympics and Cascades mistakenly went out to a lot of people who weren’t likely to be impacted on Sunday and Monday.

Wireless carriers began using a national text alert system earlier this year to warn people of potential severe weather conditions.

A blizzard alert sent to many phones in Washington was meant for people living or traveling through the Olympics and Cascades, but it went out to everyone.

It caused confusion for many people wondering when the blizzard was going to hit Puget Sound.

Ted Buehner with the National Weather Service said the system is still being fine-tuned.

“It looks like our cell phone providers haven’t fine-tuned what is called the geo-targeting,” he said. “The idea was that if you were within the areas that were targeted, in this case the Olympics and Cascades, you wouldn’t have received it in the lowlands. Apparently that’s not the case now.”

A blizzard warning is in effect for the Cascades and the Olympics with heavy winds and whiteout conditions expected.

Because of the dangerous conditions, the Weather Service recommends no travel in the Cascades unless absolutely necessary. It says motorists who do need to travel should pack winter survival kits with flashlights, food, water and blankets.

Check the current forecast

There is no blizzard warnings for the lowlands, but forecasters say there is a slight chance of some lowland snow.

Colder air is expected to bring the snow level under 1,000 feet Monday night and could leave snow on the higher hills in the Puget Sound area.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.