Winter in Western Washington won't be going down without a fight

SEATTLE – There are only 19 days left until spring, but that means there are still 19 days of winter remaining.

You’ll be reminded of that frequently this weekend.

Gusty winds, heavy snow in the passes and a high chance of winter precipitation at low elevations will persist through at least Monday, Q13 News meteorologist Walter Kelley said on Wednesday.

“The snow level drops below a 1,000 feet Saturday, and by Monday morning it will probably be below 500 feet,” Kelley said. “That means any moisture that comes through will be snow or rain or hail or some version of wintry precipitation.”

The mountain passes will also be a mess – or a dream, depending on your perspective.

Kelley said ski areas will pick up about 50 inches over the next five days, which is, of course, bad news for travelers.

“The mountains are going to get hammered with tons of snow, and that means we can expect delays and closures over the weekend,” Kelley said.

The lowlands will be wet and windy in the meantime. Kelley said winds will be around 30 mph through Saturday, but could jump higher than that at times.

Isolated thunderstorms are also in the forecast, and the convergence zone will remain active through at least the early part of next week.