Seattle-area residents should prepare for several days of wet and windy weather, while the Cascade and Olympic mountains brace for what forecasters say could be the strongest snow event of the season. Although the storm will bring significant impacts to higher elevations, the Seattle metro area is expected to see rain rather than snow.
As National Weather Service meteorologist Dana Felton told The Seattle Times, the most intense mountain conditions will arrive slightly later than initially expected. A blizzard warning is scheduled from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. Thursday as powerful winds and heavy snowfall move into the Cascades.
Snow is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon in mountain areas, including parts of the Olympics and Cascades below the main passes at elevations around 1,500 feet. Meanwhile, the Seattle region will start the day with scattered showers before steadier rain develops later. Temperatures in the lowlands remain too mild for snow, with daytime highs mostly in the mid-40s to around 50 on Wednesday and overnight lows in the mid-30s to low-40s.
In the mountains, conditions will deteriorate through Wednesday night. Wind gusts could reach about 45 mph while heavy snow falls, leading to poor visibility and hazardous travel on mountain roads and passes.
The storm will also bring strong winds to lower elevations. Forecasters say gusts across the Seattle area could climb into the 40-mph range at times.
By Thursday morning, the Cascades could pick up 1 to 2 feet of new snow. Another surge of moisture arrives later Thursday as an atmospheric river aims at Western Washington, keeping the region wet and potentially adding another 1 to 2 feet of snow in the mountains through the weekend.
While that snowfall will help ski resorts—many of which are far below normal for the season—it will not translate into a March snowstorm for Seattle as warmer air continues to dominate the lowlands.