Differing forecasts for this weekend’s weather

Pacific Northwest weather forecasters are accustomed to not being 100% certain when it comes to the prospect of snow events in the area. And the mix of forecasts for this weekend is an example of that uncertainty.

There are some points of agreement about the weekend forecast though, temperatures are expected to increase and precipitation is moving into the area. As to the specifics of when, where and how much, it gets fuzzy.

But City of Ferndale Public Works crews were not taking chances according to City staff. Crews were out at 4am today applying de-icer to roads along “priority snow routes and some other problematic areas.”

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According to the National Weather Service Seattle office, a little bit of precipitation is expected to move into the area later today while temperatures remain near or below freezing. This presents a slight (20%) opportunity for snow, rain and a mix of both beginning later this afternoon and continuing through the evening.

Saturday is expected to mark the return of more seasonal temperatures (warmer) as more clouds move into the area in the late in the day. Those clouds will bring a 40% chance of precipitation. With the warmer temperatures, it will appear as rain. But if colder temperatures prevail expect a bit more than a half-inch of snow.

On Sunday, a wetter and warmer front will move through the region. By this point temperatures will be warm enough that the precipitation (80% chance) will fall in the form of rain (0.25 to 0.5 inches).

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But an alternative forecast source, Weather Underground BestForecast (WUB), expects no precipitation to arrive until Saturday. In short, today’s forecast is simply a continuation of the cold and dry weather from prior days.