WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — National Weather Service forecasters in the Seattle office issued a winter storm watch today, Friday, November 25th, for the west slopes of the north Cascades above 2,500 feet due to the potential for heavy snow and high winds.
The watch will be in effect from 1pm on Saturday through 10am on Sunday and warns of the potential for total snow accumulations of 10 to 16 inches with southerly wind gusts up to 40mph. The heaviest snowfall is expected Saturday night.
The southerly gusty winds are expected to also impact Whatcom County lowlands with the strongest occurring near the water.
The long-term weather forecast expects a cooler airmass to setup across the Pacific Northwest region at the end of the weekend causing temperatures to drop to the low- to mid-30s as early as Sunday evening or Monday morning. The colder temperatures will bring the snow level to as low as 300 feet across the Puget Sound area.
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Click for more informationThe chance for precipitation, whether rain or snow, is about 50% for Monday and Tuesday. Any snow that does fall in the lowlands is expected to be trace amounts.
The current forecast for Wednesday calls for an inch or more snowfall in the lower foothill areas including Glacier and Maple Falls while the lowlands can expect heavy rain at the same time.
While at the far end of the extended forecast, Thursday’s forecast currently calls for another drop in temperature with a 30% to 50% chance for precipitation across the county. Higher elevations in Glacier, Sudden Valley, Lummi Island, and Acme can expect any precipitation to fall as snow in this scenario.
Whatcom News readers are encouraged to stay up to date with the current weather forecast for their specific locations via the Whatcom News Weather page.