Snow flurries possible in South Sound, but accumulation unlikely

The potential for lowland snow in Western Washington is back, and the region should prepare for some of the most frigid temperatures in years over the weekend.

The National Weather Service says a system moving into the region will bring a chance of snow to the interior lowlands Wednesday night. This means that Seattle and areas south of the city could see flurries of snow, but it is unlikely the snow will stick.

The south interior, as far north as Chehalis, could have snow accumulations of up to 1 inch, according to the Weather Service. Areas from Olympia north to Seattle will most likely see just snow flurries, “with at most a dusting.”

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“Of most interest is the possibility of up to 1 inch of snow along the I-5 corridor of Lewis County tonight,” the Weather Service wrote Wednesday morning.

The Puget Sound lowlands have seen off-and-on snow showers since the first storm rolled in last week. Several areas received more snow than they have in years.

Whatcom County was hit especially hard — relative to the rest of Western Washington — earlier this week.

Though no advisory has been issued thus far for areas west of the Cascades, portions of Central Washington are under a Winter Weather Advisory.

The cold air will remain in Western Washington through Saturday. We will experience lows below freezing and highs in the mid- to upper-30s.

The possibility for more lowland snow will return Saturday with a Pacific frontal system that is expected to bring precipitation late in the day, according to the Weather Service.

UW climatologist Cliff Mass wrote in his blog Wednesday that “even colder air will descend over the region by this weekend,” dropping temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit for a number of Western Washington locations, plus “lots of below-zero temperatures east of the Cascade crest.”

“We are talking about the coldest temperatures in 3-5 years for many locations,” Mass wrote. “A hard freeze capable of damaging plants and freezing some exposed pipes.”

We should start to see warmer temperatures and rain next week.

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