Winter storm warning updated for Western Washington: Plenty of snow, ice on the way

Although much of the snow that fell today in central Puget Sound (especially in the lowlands) didn't stick, the National Weather Service is warning that tomorrow and Friday are going to be quite different. Here's their 3:40 PM update:

A COLD AND MOIST WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING AREAS OF HEAVY SNOW TO WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. MUCH OF THE SNOW WILL COME IN HEAVY BURSTS WITH SHOWERS OR LOCALIZED BANDS OF INTENSE SNOW. THIS WILL MAKE SNOWFALL TOTALS HIGHLY VARIABLE FROM PLACE TO PLACE.

The low tonight is expected to be around 27° Fahrenheit, or approximately -2.77° Celsius. Tomorrow's high, meanwhile, will be just one degree above the freezing point, according to the forecast. That means whatever precipitation falls tonight will likely be on the ground tomorrow in the form of snow and ice.

University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass notes:

Temperatures are relatively mild from a day's worth of heating, but melting of precipitation and the ingestion of cool, dry air from the north should help it turn to snow. I think Seattle commuters will be fine....the roads are warm and salted (sound likes a good meal!)...but tonight could get very interesting very fast if this boundary locks over someone.

Snow is already on the ground throughout Island, Skagit, Snohomish, Kitsap, Whatcom, Clallam, Jefferson, and San Juan counties. It looks like snow and ice will soon be blanketing King County, although thankfully, conditions won't become too treacherous until after the evening commute is mostly over.

UPDATE, 5:48 PM: Ice pellets are now coming down in sheets in Redmond. There may also be snow later... we'll see.