Weekend storm brings snow to mountains, strong winds to Puget Sound lowlands
Dec 9, 2021, 4:38 PM | Updated: Dec 11, 2021, 8:11 am
Conditions at the Snoqualmie Summit on Dec. 9, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Trooper Rick Johnson/Twitter)
(Photo courtesy of Trooper Rick Johnson/Twitter)
A storm system is moving through the Puget Sound region for the weekend, with a separate system poised to bring plenty of snow to the mountains, as well as high winds that could knock out power in the lowlands.
A Winter Storm will bring heavy snow and difficult travel conditions to the mountains Friday thru the weekend, especially to the Passes. Please keep this in mind if planning to travel this weekend. #wawx pic.twitter.com/FrrdBR3F3I
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 9, 2021
The Washington State Department of Transportation said the storm isn’t just limited to Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes — all passes over the Cascades will get “A LOT of snow. So consider that when making your weekend plans,” WSDOT tweeted.
Washington mountain pass webcams
“We’re thinking maybe on the order of 1-3 feet” of snow in the mountains, said Gary Schneider, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“For the lower elevations, it’s going to be a lot of wind,” he added. “We’re probably going to have damaging or high winds at the coast and parts of the northern interior, and the rest of the area will still be quite windy.”
The coast and northern interior could see gusts between 50-60 miles per hour, Schneider said, while other parts of Washington could see gusts between 40-50 miles per hour. That is strong enough to knock out power and the holiday decor.
“At least some localized power outages, and then in the areas where the wind is stronger, it could be a little bit more widespread,” he said.
The strongest winds of the storm system hit on Friday night. Through Saturday, Schneider says it will be “pretty blustery,” but winding down after the strongest winds end in the early morning.
Thankfully, Schneider does not expect flooding to be a problem.
“It’s all going to be mostly snow in the mountains, so we’re not going to get a lot of runoff, and the rivers aren’t going to be a problem for flooding,” he said.
Snoqualmie Pass had to close Wednesday night due to stormy and wintery conditions. It was closed eastbound again Thursday, but reopened in the late afternoon.
Check pass conditions and potential restrictions before you travel. Find winter driving tips from WSDOT here.
The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.
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