Reader’s Digest Edition:
Weather system packing rain, wind, and possible snow is on the way:
- Winds Friday through Saturday, ranging from 15 to 30 MPH.
- Up to an inch of rain Friday through Sunday morning.
- Possible lowland snow late Saturday, early Sunday.
- The coldest weather of winter so far: Sunday and Monday overnight lows in the teens.
- More details on timing and intensity as the storm moves closer to the Pacific Northwest.
The Unabridged Version:
A weather system is expected to move through Western Washington State Friday through Saturday. Windy conditions and rain will be the primary features of this storm for flatlanders. Late Saturday, cold air will creep its way south, increasing the chance for lowland snow. By Sunday night, overnight low temperatures will be dropping into the upper teens. By Monday things should dry out. But temperatures will remain cold; the coldest so far this winter. Monday’s overnight low will be in the mid-teens. Tuesday’s overnight low will be in the low 20’s.
For mountain folk, heavy snow will fall in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains Friday through Sunday. Forecasters are not talking inches here; they’re talking feet. This pattern may continue through Sunday night. Don’t have a snow level report yet. However, there is a pretty good chance that travel over the Cascade passes will be affected.
Wind Impacts?
OK, so the National Weather Service has described the winds in their forecasts several ways: blustery, and windy. Since these are “technical definitions,” I’ll use the lowest to highest range in each. At the low end, “blustery” (a cold weather term) is defined as between 15 and 25 MPH. At the high end, “windy” is defined as between 20 and 30 MPH.
The official forecast for the next several days predicts winds as high as 25 MPH Friday night, and 21 MPH Saturday.
Here is that said forecast:
Friday
Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Southwest wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Friday Night
Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 41. Southwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday
Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 48. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Breezy.
Sunday
A chance of snow showers before 4pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
Sunday Night
A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 17.
