Credit: Brie Hawkins
We did it! After suffering through a completely snowless 2015 and a very wimpy 2014, we finally got a widespread lowland snow event for Western Washington and Northwest Oregon. And it’s not over yet… snow is still falling in the foothills and further north in Skagit and Whatcom counties where temperatures are cooler.
Let’s first start off with some awesome snow pictures from various viewers around the region.
Washington
Credit: Ashley Johnson
Credit: Cori Durdy
Credit: Nick Hansen
Credit: Brie Hawkins
Credit: Jeremy Hess
Credit: Sara Robertson
Credit: Chris Scragg
Oregon:
Credit: Rob Petitt
Credit: Tessa Harvey
Credit: Me
And here are snow totals from viewers. You can find a more complete list compiled by the NWS here.
Tumwater: 6″
Mountlake Terrace: 4″
Little Bear Creek (300′): 4″
Bremerton: 3.5″
U District: 2.75″
Lynnwood (492′): 2.5″
Bothell/Mill Creek (375′): 2″
Northeast Portland: 1.5″ with 1/4″ of freezing rain on top
North Bend (600′): 1″ + blizzard conditions
Three Tree Point (Burien): 3/4″
Lake Stevens: 1/2″
Granite Falls (300′): 1/2″ (but still pretty!)
Edgewood (360′): 1/4″
Auburn (Lakeland Hills Neighborhood at 525′): 1/4″ + blizzard
Keep in mind these were not all taken at the same time and that some places are still seeing snow… for example, the NWS had a spotter report 4.5 inches in North Bend with snow still coming down this afternoon. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the Eastern Puget Sound Lowlands until 10 this evening for up to 3 more additional inches of snow. But for last night, areas further west got higher amounts because dry easterly winds coming off the foothills helped evaporate the falling snow before it reached the surface.
Our snow was caused by a relatively strong warm front sliding over cold, dry air already in place. Precipitation initially fell as snow but has changed over to rain in most places as relatively mild southerly winds have helped scour out the cold, dense air already in place. The exception was the Columbia River Gorge, where cold east winds flowing through the Gorge kept surface temperatures below freezing last night even as the precipitation turned to rain. The result was up to a half inch of freezing rain for the Portland metropolitan area, with higher amounts further east where temperatures remained below freezing for a longer period of time.
Even though we have warmed up above freezing in most locations, temperatures are still cool around the region, as this cold air at the surface has been slow to mix out.
Credit: NWS Mesowest
Most places should hit the upper 30s to near 40 today, and we will see additional warming tomorrow and Sunday to the low 40s with showers at times. The mountains will see heavy snow throughout the weekend… look at the forecast accumulation for the next 72 hours! Over four feet of snow for some areas in the Oregon Cascades, with slightly less over the Washington Cascades/Olympics.
Next week looks cold once again, with another chance for snow. I’ll save that discussion for tomorrow though.
Charlie
