Western Washington will see a reprieve from the wet winter weather Tuesday and most of Wednesday, but cold temperatures will persist through the week and more snow is expected before the weekend.
The National Weather Service in Seattle says the system that blanketed the region with snow over the weekend and into Tuesday morning will move on, but it expects another system to bring more snow to the area Wednesday night.
“A weather system will shift south of the area this morning with light snow tapering from the north,” the weather service wrote in its Tuesday forecast discussion. “Lowland accumulations of an inch or so are possible early this morning. It should be dry after that today and into Wednesday.”
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Meteorologists expect the second system to bring between 1 and 3 inches of snow to the region, but they say as much as 5 inches could be possible. Daytime temperatures will remain in the high 20s to low 30s through Wednesday.
On Thursday, temperatures could peak in the high 30s or low 40s in parts of the interior and along the coast. That means those areas will likely see a rain-snow mix Thursday as the second cold weather system moves across the region.
That system will exit the area Friday. The weather service expects rain and warmer temperatures over the weekend.
“A weak warm front will bring a little precipitation Saturday. Precipitation might start as snow early in the day, but it should just be light rain by afternoon as highs warm into the upper 30s to mid-40s,” meteorologists said. “A wetter Pacific frontal system will move into the area on Sunday. Highs are expected to be in the lower to mid-40s on Sunday, so precipitation should be just rain in the lowlands.”
That’s likely welcome news for Western Washington residents, who have been experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures for the last few days.
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On Monday, Seattle saw a record low of 17 degrees for the day, breaking the 1968 record of 20 degrees. The weather service also said the Monday high of 23 degrees made it the coldest day in Seattle in 31 years.
Those below-freezing temperatures, along with the several inches of snow that blanketed the city over the weekend, is affecting a number of public services.
Seattle Public Utilities announced Tuesday that it’s suspending garbage pickup for the second day in a row, and King County Metro said it’s continuing to run on emergency service. Only 60 bus routes are currently operational.
The Rainier Beach COVID vaccination clinic and 15 branches of the Seattle Public Library also closed Tuesday due to weather.
This is a developing story, check back later for updates.
