Weather Alert Days starting Thursday bringing frigid temps, lowland snow and wind

The forecast is a complicated one!

As we close out the week we'll be very active.  This is why we are issuing Weather Alert Days for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

First up, the cold air mass dropping in from the north will bring temperatures down to the lowest we've seen them this winter season.  Highs will struggle to get into the 30s with overnights in the teens for the foothills and mountains with low to mid 20s for Western Wash. Brr!  Bundle up and take care of those pets.  

Let's jump into the snow forecast. Lots to cover! 

The first round of snow, besides the spotty showers we saw already Wednesday will arrive late Wednesday into the overnight hours. Areas to watch are places in the North Sound like Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan, Island Counties and through the Strait.

TRACK SNOW AND BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES WITH THE Q13 WEATHER APP. 

Snow showers won't be long lived. They will eventually wrap up before you wake up with little accumulations.  Temperatures overnight in Bellingham will plummet into the teens. Eighteen degrees will especially feel cold with the winds gusting, too.  There is a Wind Advisory in effect through 10 a.m. Friday for these areas: 

Gusty winds may blow around unsecured object while tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Our windy weather is just the start of several alerts we'll have in play over the next several days.  Folks in the South Sound have a chance at waking up Thursday to snow with several inches accumulating through midday as moisture spreads inland from the SW. 

The Seattle area won't pick up much to start with likely trace to an inch or two and the farther north you go towards Everett up to the Canadian Border you won't see much at all.  Below are the places under a Winter Storm Watch through Friday morning.

As we push into Thursday night snow will pick up.  Again, more so for the South Sound while most of us to the north will remain dry.  We are also watching for ice showers for the SW region along with the eastern slopes of the Cascades. 

Plus, there is a Blizzard Warning along the Western Columbia River Gorge for dangerous conditions.  Total snow accumulations of 5 to 8 inches are expected with winds gusting 55 to 70 mph. This will cause considerable reduced visibility due to blowing snow.

The timing of the next, more impactful system, will start after dinner Friday.  Updated models are forecasting between 4-6" of snow for the Seattle area with even more over the SW Interior with 8-10"! 

To the north it's looking like lesser amounts at this point with only 2-4" for Western Whatcom County.  With snow totals piling up you can imagine the impacts it will have around the region when trying to travel. Stay home if you can and don't drive in these wintry conditions. 

By Saturday afternoon we'll start to quiet down and by late Saturday night we'll dry out through the overnight hours. 

Sunday morning brings a wintry mix as temperatures attempt to transition warmer.  And when we say warmer, we won't be near normal by any means, but warmer than the bitter cold highs and lows we just lived through. Sunday's high will be close to 40 and that's a good five degree jump from the day before.  

Temperatures will slowly continue to rise, but will remain below the seasonal average of 49/37.  By late Monday into Tuesday we should see mainly rain, but we wouldn't be surprised if some lingering chilly air across the North Interior holds on to a little more snow. 

Stay tuned and stay safe! Erin Mayovsky, Q13 Forecaster 

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