November 5, 2009
7:39 P.M.
Hello fellow weather enthusiasts. Right now, the front is coming ashore, but we still have a steady rain and will have it until at least midnight, where it will then begin to taper off. I want to talk about the future though after giving such a thorough talk on this current system last night.
After the cold front swings through, we will be under the influence of post-frontal showers. Since the flow will be westerly, the Puget Sound area should be rainshadowed to some extent. I’m not saying we won’t get wet, we definitely should get some showers, possibly even some thundershowers, but we won’t get as many as other places that are not shadowed. The cool air behind the front will bring the snow levels down to 3,000 feet – pass level – and a winter weather advisory is in effect in the mountains for 5-11 inches of snow. However, Snoqualmie and Stevens passes will be shadowed partially, and they will only get 2-6 inches of snow.
Monday, another strong system will roll in off the Pacific. It will be similar to this one in many ways, but the temperatures associated with it should be much cooler and we should see snow at pass levels throughout the entire event. I’m loving it! It’s awesome to get a great base early in the season.
And the good news for snow lovers is that it looks like we should see some snow in the mountains next week. A series of upper level trofts will bring showers to the area as the jet stream directs cool, moisture-laden air off of the northeastern Pacific perpendicularly into the Cascade Mountains, creating clouds and snow. Highs next week should be in the upper 40s and lows in the lower 30s, about normals for this time of year, with showers and sunbreaks in the lowlands and white stuff in the mountains.
I hope you are as excited about the ski season as I am!
Charlie