WeatherWatcher: The next snow opportunity is becoming clear in the forecast

 

As seen in the above animated loop, our next potential for snow is developing and got quite organized today. The new storm developing came across Alaska and down the west coast out of the Arctic. It is expected by forecast models to be cold enough to bring precipitation in the form of snow for most areas, especially in elevations above 300 feet.

Timing: Monday will be much like today, partly to mostly cloudy with showers through the area. The bulk of this next storm is expected to move inland late Monday afternoon and evening. Most of the accumulating snowfall is once again expected overnight into Tuesday morning. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing increasing rain or snow showers earlier in the afternoon Monday given the speed at which this storm is currently moving.

What to expect: Most models are now suggesting somewhere between 2-6 inches of snow could fall through most of the Puget Sound region. Temperatures are once again marginal around the freezing mark so snow accumulations will be very dependent on your elevation and proximity to warming effects from bodies of water. Rain may be mixed in at times and will be very hyperlocal depending on where the rain/snow mix lines are.

We will treat Sunday morning's snow as an indicator of who will see the most snow Tuesday morning. Those who saw snow Sunday morning should expect to see anywhere between 2 to 6 inches of snow Tuesday morning. Daytime warming is expected so it'll be a slushy mess after the sun has been up for a few hours.

We should see a bit of a break Wednesday with some sunny skies. Another storm starts to work its way in Wednesday night through Thursday and that has more potential to make another round of accumulating snow. For now, we'll just take this one storm at a time and when models come to agreement for the second half of the week, I'll write another update.

Longer range: A cold, wet pattern is expected to continue for the next 10-15 days. It is a typical La Niña weather pattern, but particularly locked in with less variability than normal. The jet stream is flowing from the northwest as a result, pulling the storm track up through Siberia and Alaska and back down the west coast. 

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