It’s snow time!
After several weeks of mostly dry/sometimes wet weather, Puget Sound and points to the north and the south are seeing some significant snow… perhaps the only major snow event of winter 2012.
The National Weather Service forecast for today and the next few days calls for plenty of snow showers. Temperatures will remain fairly cold until Wednesday morning, when things will begin to warm up, creating what University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass is calling “slushmageddon.”
Here is the full NWS forecast for the next seventy-two hours:
This Afternoon | Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. West northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. |
Tonight | Snow showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
M.L.King Day | A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 34. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
Monday Night | Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 30. South southwest wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
Tuesday | Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. South southwest wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. |
Tuesday Night | Snow showers. Low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. |
Wednesday | Snow before 10am, then rain. Snow level rising to 1000 feet. High near 38. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. |
And here is the Winter Weather Advisory the NWS issued this morning:
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING.
- SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…BREMERTON… AND SHELTON.
- TIMING…SNOW SHOWERS…LOCALLY HEAVY…WILL PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS.
- TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…UP TO 3 INCHES.
- IMPACT…NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN SOME ICY ROADS THIS MORNING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IS ISSUED FOR THE LOWLANDS WHEN 1 TO 3 INCHES IS LIKELY TO FALL IN 12 HOURS.
Pacific NW Portal’s Extended Weather page has a pretty thorough compilation of winter weather preparedness tips, including links for school closures, transit rider alerts, and road advisories. Many people have contacted us over the years to thank us for assembling this information, and we hope you’ll find it useful too.