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FontSunday's snow was just the opener for a powerful storm expected to hit Western Washington Wednesday, bringing a possible 6 to 12 inches of snow to the lowlands and potential to break snowfall records at Sea-Tac Airport, the National Weather Service warned Monday.
The storm also had potential to wreak the same kind of havoc caused by the December 1996 storm. In that storm, heavy snow quickly transitioned to rain, causing fallen snow to become wet and heavy and collapsing the rooftops of marinas and apartments regionwide.
The same conditions were ripe for Wednesday's storm.
"This is a going to be a widespread snow event, as opposed to the hit- and-miss variety that we've had since Saturday," said Ted Buehner, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
Buehner said the forecast still had much uncertainty and that conditions will be highly variable. In Snohomish County, he said, some areas could see 12 to 18 inches of snow Wednesday night into Thursday.
The Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the Seattle, Everett and Tacoma areas for Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
"Very high impact winter weather is expected through Wednesday night or Thursday," the Weather Service said Monday.
"Snowfall amounts at Sea-Tac could exceed anything seen since November 1985... a Top 5 record 24-hour snowfall amount."
Monday forecast
For Monday, intermittent snow showers, like the ones seen on Sunday, were expected throughout Western Washington, as arctic air from northern British Columbia and the Yukon territory continued moving south.
Seattle was expected to see 1 to 2 inches of new snow during the day. Another accumulation of 3 to 7 inches was possible late at night into Tuesday morning. The low will drop to 32 degrees.
Heavier snow and wind were expected in coastal and northern areas, with the Weather Service issuing a winter storm warning Monday for Skagit County and the San Juans.
Possible brief, blizzard-like conditions were possible in western Whatcom County into Tuesday morning.
Tuesday forecast
On Tuesday, another 2 to 4 inches of snow in Seattle was predicted, as another arctic front makes its way through the region. Other areas could see up to 7 inches of snow. The low on Tuesday night was expected to plunge to 27 degrees in Seattle.
After a lull in snow on Tuesday afternoon, a series of powerful storms were expected to hit the region Tuesday night or Wednesday, bringing possible heavy snow and strong winds. The Seattle area was expected to get 3 to 7 inches of snow.
The Weather Service called the storm a "big, over-running snow event" in which some models called for 6 to 12 inches of snow in the lowlands. But the agency also said much was still uncertain.
KOMO-TV meteorologist Scott Sistek said everyone should be prepared for heavy snow.
"Everyone should prepare for at least (the) possibility for 6 inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday morning's commute, with potential for more in spots, especially north of Everett, where areas could see 8-12" if conditions are right," Sistek wrote Monday.
Wednesday forecast
The snow was expected to turn to rain by Wednesday night through Thursday, when the high temperature will warm to 46 degrees.
That will create what University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass called "slushmageddon."
"A vision that should scare any mayor," Mass wrote on his blog. "And one I am sure will put a smile on the face of KING-TV's Jim Forman."
The Weather Service was predicting 4 to 8 inches at Sea-Tac Airport. Eight inches would break the airport's 1972 record of 7.9 inches in a 24-hour period. That would put the week's storm in Top 10 for heaviest snowfall in a single day.
Links
For more information, go here:
National Weather Service in Seattle
Washington Department of Transportation weather
Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news. Contact Vanessa Ho at 206-448-8003 or vanessaho@seattlepi.com, and follow her on Twitter as @vanessaho.
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