The biggest snowfall this season is in store for the mountains this week.
But a blizzard that could rock the upper altitudes with high gusts and low visibility is set to arrive a little later than expected, on Wednesday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Dana Felton said. And if you were holding out hope for snow in Seattle, the forecast has not changed in your favor.
At sea level, the Puget Sound region will likely be spared snow but not wind. Much of Western Washington has an 75% chance or better of gusts above 40 mph Wednesday, including Seattle, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind advisories issued Tuesday evening affected virtually all of Western Washington, warning of winds picking up Wednesday afternoon, peaking around 8 to 11 p.m. Be ready for downed power lines, damaged trees and bad times on local waters.
A drizzly outlook will hang over Seattle for the next few days, Felton said. Temperatures are too warm for snow accumulation, with highs in the mid-40s — save for a high of 50 on Wednesday — and lows in the mid-30s to low 40s.
Snow will continue in the mountains through Wednesday night. Gusts will reach 45 mph while snow falls, making for “reduced visibility and rough travel conditions,” Felton said. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday.
On the other side of the blizzard, the mountains will have seen a foot or two of fresh snow accumulation by Thursday morning, Felton said.
An atmospheric river will start pointing at the Seattle area later Thursday, Felton said, “so we’re just going to stay wet.” And in the mountains, that could mean another 1 to 2 feet of powder, with snow falling into the weekend, Felton said.
Stevens Pass got a couple of feet of snow already this week, Felton said. Other places in the mountains haven’t gotten that much.
Snowfall has been way behind what’s considered normal this year, and ski areas are feeling it. Snoqualmie Pass has seen only 36% of what’s considered normal snowfall by this time of year and Stevens Pass has had 40%.
This will certainly help,” Felton said.
But the chances of snow in Seattle this winter are drying up, as air masses are starting to warm.
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