Snowflakes turn to rain around Western Washington

Monday’s snow flurries around Western Washington turned into rain into the evening, but the state’s overall snowfall is likely far from over.

Cooling effects caused rain to change into snow and/or a snowy mix across the lowlands, mainly at or above 400 feet, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle. There were reports of afternoon snowflakes in areas including Kent, Olympia, Tacoma, Issaquah and Bremerton. There was some accumulation west of the Hood Canal, between Shelton and McCleary and on parts of the East Puget Sound lowlands.

The Snoqualmie Pass has already picked up a foot of snow, with another 4-7 inches likely in the Cascades of King and Snohomish Counties through Wednesday night. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for the Cascades of King and Snohomish counties. The advisory remains in effect until 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The Cascades of Pierce and Lewis Counties should see another 1-2 feet of snow.

To add to the already slow travel times, the Washington State Department of Transportation will close Highway 2 twice Tuesday morning for avalanche control. Traffic will be stopped from milepost 58 to milepost 64 from 4-6 a.m. and later at 9 a.m.

#US2StevensPass -Avalanche control is planned Tues 4am – 6am and later at 9 am. Traffic will be stopped from Scenic-MP58 to the summit-MP64

— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) December 21, 2015

The storms moving in early this week could be the precursor of a white Christmas. Forecasters say lowland snow is possible Thursday night and Friday morning. The snow level will drop to 500 feet or lower.

Related:Online tool predicts significant flooding in Puget Sound region

Snow levels will be as low as 1,500 feet in the Cascades. The weather service warns that the amount of snow falling in the area could make travel difficult or impossible.