Wind gusts over 40mph will persist through the next few hours, slowly subsiding (but still with gusts over 30mph) into Thursday morning. Power outages are still possible but most of Western Washington winds will have peaked by midnight, though Island County and western parts of Snohomish and Skagit counties could still see 40mph wind gusts through about 3 am.
In the mountains, we will see pass rain turn back to snow in the next few hours with the passage of a cold front but by morning there will be sporadic bands of mountain snow, with Stevens Pass more favored under a convergence zone. In the lowlands, a few rain showers will be around but there will be rain-free areas during the commute. The best chance of rain early will be under the convergence zone in Snohomish County.
The atmospheric river responsible for this wet weather will sink south a bit, but then also get another charge of Pacific moisture for Thursday afternoon and evening, lasting into Friday. Expect mountain snow to pick up again on Thursday afternoon and become very heavy once again in the central and south Cascades by Thursday evening, though blizzard conditions are not expected. Pass travel will become very difficult again Thursday night and Friday.
In the lowlands Friday, expect mainly rain, though in the morning hours, snow levels will be under 1,000 feet and there could be some spots where heavier precipitation drives some wet snow closer to sea level. Any impact from wintry weather Friday morning would most likely in and near the foothills and from around Pierce County southward, especially away from the water. There are some indications that chances for snow could increase if the airmass Friday morning is slightly cooler than forecast, so we’ll be watching that. If there is some snow around the area Friday morning, it would likely not last very long as temperatures will be above freezing. By Friday afternoon, it’s just rain across the lowlands.
We will get a relative break Saturday with some sunshine and a few isolated showers, mainly near the Cascades. Rain returns with some mountain snow Sunday, especially late.
The weather turns much warmer next week with rain at times and rising snow levels, putting more rain on the snow that has fallen. This will keep avalanche danger high and raise the possibility of river flooding if rain gets heavy. Highs early next week will be in the mid 50s to lower 60s in the lowlands!
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