Snow expected for Seattle over holiday weekend

A cold front is expected to bring small amounts of lowland snow across the region this weekend, meaning Seattle could easily see a white Christmas this year.

Seattle’s National Weather Service predicts between 1 and 3 inches of snowfall Saturday through Monday. However, weather forecasters say the amount of snowfall during a single 6-hour block is unlikely to be more than a quarter of an inch over that period, which means we may not see much buildup on the ground.

“For those who want snow, Saturday night to Monday seems to be more promising, although the course may change,” wrote the weather service in its forecast discussion on Wednesday. “When temperatures are cold enough and snow can build up, a few inches of accumulation seems like a reasonable result.”

With cold temperatures – as well as potential snow – in the forecast for the next few days, now is a good time to prepare.

Find ways to prepare for winter storms, extreme cold, and power outages: https://t.co/NiTt8GHwqo#KingCountyReady #WAwx pic.twitter.com/faw1GxKHMc

– King County, WA (@KingCountyWA) December 21, 2021

Most of the snowfall is likely to come in the late weekend, when temperatures are expected to stay below freezing. The highs will be in the low 40s during the day on Saturday, but daytime temperatures are expected to drop to the low 30s on Sunday and stay there until Monday. Night lows can be between 10 and 20 degrees.

During the remainder of the working week, there will be periods of rain in the region with some instances of freezing rain interspersed. More rain means flooding is possible along ports, coastlines, and low-lying coastal roads around Puget Sound. The weather service said the Skokomish River is expected to rise sharply at Potlatch on Wednesday and may result in minor flooding of the river by Wednesday evening. Thunderstorms can also occur on Wednesday.

⚠️🥶 VERY COLD NEXT WEEK
Let’s look at some more probabilistic data! ? “
The charts show the range of potential highs and lows until the next week. The “spread” continues to increase in the future ️ This corresponds to more uncertainty in the prognosis. Anyway, it’s getting cold! #wawx pic.twitter.com/DvUe14rplH

– NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 21, 2021

Continuous snowfall is also expected in the Cascades this week, so drivers going on vacation should exercise caution when crossing mountain passes. The mountain snow began to fall Tuesday evening and the accumulation is expected to be between 6 and 12 inches by early Thursday.

As for next week, we will likely see the coldest weather of the season yet. The weather service says the highs will be in the mid-20s through Wednesday, with lows generally in the teenage years. However, some areas could see single-digit lows. The cold air is dry and snow is unlikely during this time.